Corylopsis is a genus of nearly 30 species of shrubs in the witch hazel family, Hamamelidaceae, native to eastern Asia with the majority of species endemic to China but with some also in Japan, Korea, and the Himalayas. This genus is also known from the extinct species Corylopsis reedae described from Eocene leaf fossils found in Washington State, USA.
They grow to 2–6 m (6 ft 7 in–19 ft 8 in) tall, often with a crown wider than the shrub’s height. The leaves are ovate with an acute apex and a serrated margin, 4–20 cm (2–8 in) long and 3–15 cm (1.2–5.9 in) broad. The flowers are produced in late winter in pendulous racemes 3–9 cm (1.2–3.5 in) long with 5-30 flowers; each flower has five pale yellow petals, 4–9 mm long. The fruit is a dry capsule 10–12 mm long, containing two glossy black seeds.
Selected species
Native to China unless otherwise indicated
Corylopsis alnifolia
Corylopsis brevistyla
Corylopsis glabrescens (Japan, Korea)
Corylopsis glandulifera
Corylopsis glaucescens
Corylopsis griffithii (Himalaya)
Corylopsis henryi
Corylopsis himalayana (Himalaya)
Corylopsis microcarpa
Corylopsis multiflora
Corylopsis obovata
Corylopsis omeiensis
