Among the scents of spring is that of witch-hazel (Hamamelis). At Kew Gardens, I had a good sniff of the various kinds planted near King William's Temple (built in 1837).
The "chinese" variety (H. mollis) has a strong smell of oranges, and looks very orange too -
Hamamelis x intermedia -"Rubin" -
Japanese witch hazel (H. japonica) -
Appropriately, this is Sunburst -
Frederic -
... and Diane -
The name has nothing to do with witches - it comes from the Old English wice, meaning bendable.
Topical application of a decoction has been used to treat swelling, inflammation, and tumours, but drinking it is not advised.
No comments:
Post a Comment