Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Saxifragales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Fothergilla major
FAMILY
Hamamelidaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Read about the Witch-Alders from Linda Chafin and the Southern Appalachian Botanical Society.
Learn more about Large Witch-alder from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
Most cultivated Fothergilla (notably the cultivar 'Mt. Airy') is the pentaploid hybrid of Fothergilla gardenii × major (= F. ×intermedia Ranney & Fantz) (Ranney et al. 2007). Read more in Weakley's Flora (2022)
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Fothergilla major
FAMILY
Hamamelidaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Fothergilla major
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 3 (1997)
Fothergilla major
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 095-03-002:
Fothergilla major FAMILY Hamamelidaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Fothergilla major
COMMON NAME:
Large Witch-alder, Mountain Witch-alder, Fothergilla
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
Alan S. Weakley asw_2993557077443663
April Orange County NC
North Carolina Botanical Garden
Flowers with white stamens, no petals, per Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance).
)
JK Marlow jkm0305zc_13
May Buncombe County NC
Botanical Gardens at Asheville
Lf lobed or coarsely toothed near tip, or entire; base rounded or ~ cordate, per Native Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southeast (Foote & Jones, 1989).
COMPARE
leaves of Hazel Alder, Hazelnut, Witch Hazel and Witch-alder
)
JK Marlow jkm0405i_13
May Haywood County NC
Corneille Bryan Native Garden
)
JK Marlow jkm160502_030
May Transylvania County NC
In cultivation
)
JK Marlow jkm160504_470
May Jackson County NC
Pulley Park
)
JK Marlow jkm0511c_04
November Haywood County NC
Corneille Bryan Native Garden
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmfmajor_occ1
Month Unknown Greenville County SC
Jones Gap State Park
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Fothergilla major
FAMILY
Hamamelidaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Fothergilla major
FAMILY
Hamamelidaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Fothergilla major
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 3
Fothergilla major
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 095-03-002:
Fothergilla major
FAMILY
Hamamelidaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Fothergilla major
574
Shrub
Perennial
Habitat: Dry ridgetop forests of middle elevation ridges in the mountains, especially along the Blue Ridge Escarpment, summits and upper slopes of Piedmont monadnocks, north-facing bluffs and along small streams in the lower Piedmont, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Uncommon in NC Mountains (rare elsewhere in GA-NC-SC)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)
LEAVES:
Deciduous
Simple
Alternate
FLOWER:
Spring
White
Radially symmetrical
Petals absent
Bisexual? Mostly unisexual?
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Capsule
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Gardening with Native Plants of the South (Wasowski & Wasowski, 1994, 2020) p082
- Gardening with the Native Plants of Tennessee (Hunter, 2002) p246
- Native Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southeast (Foote & Jones, 1989) p065
- Field Guide to the Rare Plants of Georgia (Chafin, 2007) p145
- Wild Flowers of NC, 2nd edition (Justice, Bell, & Lindsey, 2005) p108
- Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance) p37
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004) p144
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".
Or try alternate spellings: If "wooly" doesn't work, try "woolly" or just "wool".