Corylopsis is a genus of approximately 25 species of deciduous shrubs in the witch hazel family, Hamamelidaceae, placed in the order Saxifragales. The genus is native to eastern Asia, with the great majority of species endemic to China and others extending into Japan, Korea, and the Himalayas. The genus is also known from the extinct species Corylopsis reedae, described from Eocene leaf fossils found in Washington State, USA, attesting to a formerly broader range.
Plants grow to 2–6 metres tall and frequently develop a crown wider than the shrub's height. The leaves are ovate with an acute apex and a serrated margin, 4–20 cm long and 3–15 cm broad. The flowers are produced in late winter before the leaves emerge, arranged in pendulous racemes 3–9 cm long bearing 5 to 30 individual flowers. Each flower carries five pale yellow petals, 4–9 mm long, and the blooms are sweetly scented. The fruit is a dry capsule 10–12 mm long containing two glossy black seeds.
Corylopsis is valued in gardens worldwide for its very early season of bloom, bringing colour to the late-winter or early-spring garden when little else is flowering. The scented flowering branches also cut well and last in a vase. Cultivated plants do best in semi-shade or shade protected from strong winds, and prefer humus-rich soils. A noted weakness is that the branches are prone to damage from heavy snow loads. Several species are also used as bonsai subjects, particularly C. pauciflora.
Etymology
The name Corylopsis derives from the Greek korýlos (hazel) and opsis (appearance or resemblance), reflecting the similarity of the leaves to those of the hazel (Corylus).
Distribution
Corylopsis is native to eastern Asia. The majority of its roughly 25 species are endemic to China, while others extend into Japan, Korea, and the Himalayas. An extinct species, C. reedae, is known from Eocene fossil leaves found in Washington State, USA, indicating that the genus once had a broader distribution.
Cultivation
Corylopsis grows best in semi-shade or shade sheltered from strong winds, on humus-rich, well-drained soils. Plants bloom in late winter and the scented yellow branches are long-lasting when cut. Branches are susceptible to breakage under heavy snow loads. Several species, especially C. pauciflora, are well suited to bonsai cultivation.
