 |
Conserving and restoring
America's native plants |
|
CPC National Collection Plant Profile
|
|
|
Fothergilla major
| Family: |
Hamamelidaceae (Witch-hazel Family) |
| Common Names: |
large witchhazel, mountain witch alder, mountain witchhazel |
| Author: |
(Sims) Lodd. |
| Growth
Habit: |
Shrub |
| CPC
Number: |
6286 |
|
| |
| Primary
custodian for this plant in the CPC National Collection of Endangered
Plants is: |
| |
| Irina Kadis contributed to this Plant Profile. |
Fothergilla major
|
Fothergilla is a genus native to the southeastern United States. F. major, the large fothergilla, is a densely branched colonial shrub. Its usual height is 6 ft, although it may grow in the wild to 10 and even nearly 20 ft (Small 1933, Weaver 1971). Fothergilla gardenii, the small fothergilla, is only about 3 ft tall and sparsely branched (Dirr 1998) The leaves of both fothergilla species look generally similar to leaves of the common witchhazel (Hamamelis virginiana), however, less toothed (in F. major, only in their upper two-thirds; in F. gardenii, only above the middle, if at all, and are considerably smaller and narrower) (Radford et al. 1968). There exist two forms in F. major: the "typical" one with leaves white-glaucous beneath (with stellate hairs) and the one that had been once recognized as "F. monticola" with leaves green beneath (Flint 1984). Both are found growing together in any considerably large population.
Fothergillas are monoecious (male and female flowers appear on the same plant) (Foote and Jones 1994). Flowers are arranged in dense terminal spikes. They are apetalous, very fragrant, featuring conspicuous yellow stamens with long filaments. Styles are also long, persistent at fruit. Fruits are beaked dehiscent capsules, each containing two shiny, black seeds.
Fothergilla is named after Dr. John Fothergill, an English philanthropist of the 18th century, who established a large garden with greenhouses in Upton, Essex, cultivated one of the most important early collections of American plants, and financed W. Bartram's travels across the North American Continent.
| Distribution
& Occurrence |
|
State Range
| |
Alabama
Arkansas
Georgia
North Carolina
South Carolina
Tennessee |
|
|
Habitat
| |
F. major occurs in mesic-dry to dry habitats of the uplands: rich mountain woods and balds with tulip tree, Carolina silverbell, cucumbertree magnolia, common witchhazel, azalea, and others; rocky ravine banks of streams with rapid water flow. Although it can be occasionally found in mature mesic forests, its most characteristic habitats are disturbed areas on dry ridges of southeastern highlands (Hightshoe 1988, Bir 1992, Foote and Jones 1994).
The plant is very shade tolerant. It needs well-drained, moist, moderate to slightly acid, rich loams. Fothergilla cannot tolerate alkaline soil. |
Distribution
| |
F. major is a native of the southern Appalachians (Allegheny Mountains; southern Blue Ridge) and the adjacent piedmont plateau, being distributed in northwestern North Carolina, northeastern Tennessee, Georgia, and north-central Alabama, with few isolated populations in central North Carolina (Small 1933, Radford et al. 1968,Flint 1984, Foote and Jones 199). It has rather scattered distribution. |
Number Left
| |
Remaining population sizes and sites are largely unknown. |
State/Area
Protection
| |
State/Area |
Rank |
Status |
Date |
|
| |
Alabama |
S2 |
|
9/18/1991 |
|
| |
Arkansas |
S1.1 |
|
8/15/1986 |
|
| |
Georgia |
S1 |
|
7/13/1995 |
|
| |
Great Smokies |
S? |
|
6/17/1991 |
|
| |
North Carolina |
S2 |
C |
8/2/1991 |
|
| |
South Carolina |
S1 |
A |
11/26/1985 |
|
| |
Tennessee |
S2 |
T |
8/11/1986 |
|
| |
Tennessee Valley Authority |
S? |
|
|
|
| Conservation,
Ecology & Research |
|
Ecological
Relationships
| |
Ecological relationships are unknown. |
Threats
| |
Irresponsible and uncontrolled development of vacation and retirement housing and recreation
Urban development
Road construction, right-of-way maintenance
Clearcutting of adjacent woods and thinning of trees in its immediate proximity affects the species that is intolerant to intensive light
Human trampling
Deer browsing
Overtopping by arboreal species or fast growing herbs
Natural habitats vanish due to plant succession.
Invasive species
Lack of infrequent fire causing habitat succession
|
Current Research Summary
| |
Although the natural ranges of fothergillas are in the southeastern USA, they are both hardy as far north as New England. One specimen of F. major has been prospering at the Arnold Arboretum for more than 100 years. Indeed, the cultivation of the fothergillas in this country appears to be concentrated in New England and the Middle Atlantic States rather than their native southeast.
F. major is generally remarkable for its individual variability. Differences in shape, size, autumn coloration, and flowering profusion have been noticed between individual clones. Due to that, F. major is a perfect candidate for a selection program and propagation (Fordham 1971).
Propagation from seed: collect seed right on time or they can be dispersed and lost. Double dormancy interferes with germination.
Propagation from cuttings: don't disturb immediately after rooting, let cuttings break buds the next following spring in the same container before potting them up. In case cuttings are disturbed early, they tend to break bud very slowly or not at all. |
Current Management Summary
| |
No formal management plan has been designed. |
Research Management Needs
| |
Populations need to be identified and monitored. Almost every aspect of this specie's biology and ecology needs to be researched. |
Ex Situ Needs
|
| Books (Single Authors)
|
| |
| Bir, R.E. 1992. Growing and Propagating Showy Native Woody Plants. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: The University of North Carolina Press. |
| |
| Dirr, M.A. 1998. Manual of Woody Landscape Plants. Champaign, Illinois: Stipes Publishing L. L. C. |
| |
| Foote, L.E.; Jones, S.B., Jr. 1994. Native Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southeast. Oregon: Timber Press. |
| |
| Hightshoe, G.L. 1988. Native Trees, Shrubs, and Vines for Urban and Rural America. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold. |
| |
| Radford, A.E.; Ahles, H.E.; Bell, C.R. 1968. Manual of the vascular flora of the Carolinas. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press. 1183p. |
| |
| Small, J.K. 1933. Manual of the southeastern flora. New York, NY: Hafner Publishing Company. 1505p. |
| |
| Weakley, A.S. 2002. Flora of the Carolinas and Virginia, Working Draft. Unpublished--available on-line. |
| |
| Books (Sections)
|
| |
| Kartesz, J.T. 1999. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the U.S., Canada, and Greenland. In: Kartesz, J.T.; Meacham, C.A., editors. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden. Chapel Hill, NC. |
| |
| Electronic Sources
|
| |
| (2000). Showy Native Trees, Shrubs and Woody Vines. [Web site] NC State University. http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/native/scientific_namea-e.html. Accessed: 2002. |
| |
| Journal Articles
|
| |
| 1994. Cascades of color (a sampler of fall's brightest trees and shrubs). Horticulture. 72: 34-7. |
| |
| 2000. The Increasing Availability of Native Plants. Newsletter of the Alabama Wildflower Society. LVIV: 5-7. |
| |
| Dirr, M.A. 1977. Fothergillas: A Garden Aristocrat. A neglected native shrub with many landscape virtues. Horticulture. 55, 12: 38-39. |
| |
| Dirr, M.A. 1987. Fothergilla major. American Nurseryman. 165: 226. |
| |
| Fordham, A.J. 1971. Notes from the Arnold Arboretum. Propagation of Fothergilla. Arnoldia. 31, 4: 256-259. |
| |
| Weaver, R.E. 1971. The Fothergillas. Arnoldia. 31, 3: 89-97. |
| |
| Magazine Articles
|
| |
| Cappiello, P. 1998. Fothergillas—Super Shrubs for Sun or Shade. Plants & Gardens News: 13. 2. |
| |
|
