This is a clean, neat, high quality shrub from central China. It usually grows about 10 to 15 feet high and wide, but can get over 20 feet high. It does not have as many stems as the two American species, and being a little more tree-like, one or two of those stems are more like small trunks. Its leaves are rounded and about 3 to 6 inches long by 2.5 to 4.5 inches wide that get a good golden fall color. The buds are densely pubescent. It has the largest witchhazel flowers in February-March that are a little more fragrant than the others, but are less cold hardy, being injured at -10 to -15 F below zero. The Japanese Witchhazel is very similar with smaller leaves, less rounded, to 4 inches long by 2.5 inches wide, and it is a little more cold hardy as a shrub and with flowers. There are several cultivars in the trade from both species. The Asian Hybrid Witchhazel (H. x intermedia) is the hybrid between the Chinese x the Japanese species and has a large number of cultivars, and these are the more popular Witchhazels being sold at many conventional nurseries.

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