Did you know that Hamamelis  belongs to the family of the Hamamelidaceae? We call it the Wich Hazel family.

The Latin name for the genus Hamamelis was established by Carl Linnaeus in 1742. The name is composed of two Greek words, hamameaning ‘at the same time together’ and melon  meaning ‘fruit or apple’. 

The classification of the genus Hamamelis is based on Heywood. The genus belongs to the order Hamamelidae, suborder Hamamelidales, family Hamamelidaceae. Other families which also belong to the suborder Hamamelidales are Cercidiphyllaceae and Platanaceae. 

The Witch Hazel family is a medium-sized family of mainly shrubs but also trees. The distribution of the family is very discontinuous in temperate and subtropical regions of the Northern and Southern hemispheres. The family contains around 100 species in 23 genera. 

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Since several decades the Arboretum Kalmthout welcomes all Witch Hazel lovers to exchange information and enjoy the spectacular winter flowering of the old specimens in the collection. 

Since 2003 the Arboretum Kalmthout is the International Cultivar Registration Authority for the genus of Hamamelis. This website is created to make this register accessible for all interested and to promote the planting of Hamamelis in gardens and exchange information on Witch Hazels. The registration of names and other features are free, so do not hesitate to contact us. 

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Many thanks to Chris Lane who set the standard with his monograph ‘Witch Hazels, a plant collector guide’, published in 2005. Up until now the most complete work on Hamamelis and highly recommended. 

Today no applications for new names have been recieved.