The fragrant flowers are among the first to bloom in the year with the crinkly ribbon-like yellow petals scattered on the branches of the shrubs or trees.   Frequently the tiny red calyces of these small  Witch Hazel flowers are not noticed as they are only a few millimetres in size.
The branches are pliant or able to bend and originally called 'wiches' from which the Witch Hazel got its name.   They were used as divining rods and an extract of the plant was used as a medicament for bruises and skin disorders.