This unique shrub flowers in the fall, while dropping its foliage! The Latin name Hamamelis may be translated as “flowering when honey is harvested.” Characteristic leaves with oblique, asymmetric bases and flower buds that are ready to open. Blue Hills Reservation, Canton, October 1

Yellow leaves, flower buds, and ripe fruits. Fruits ripen during two years, then burst with great force, dispersing seed a few yards away from the plant. Fall River, September 25

At the peak of flowering, with leafless blooming branches (leaves have been dropped). Blue Hills Reservation, Quincy, October 25

Flowers may be cream- or lemon-yellow. Blue Hills Reservation, Quincy, November 5

Overwintering first-year fruits. Hale Reservation, Dover, March 17

Witch-hazel is one of the largest shrubs in southeastern Massachusetts. It can grow to 18 ft tall, sometimes producing a single-trunk small tree. Ames Nowell State Park, Brockton, April 24