Fothergilla major (Sims) Sweet. Common name: Large Witch-alder. Phenology: Apr-May; Jul-Oct. Habitat: Dry ridgetop forests of middle elevation ridges in the mountains, especially along the Blue Ridge Escarpment, summits and upper slopes of Piedmont monadnocks, north-facing bluffs and along small streams in the lower Piedmont. Distribution: C. NC west to ne. TN, south to nc. GA and nc. AL; disjunct in AR.
Origin/Endemic status: Endemic
Taxonomy Comments: Nearly all cultivated Fothergilla in our area (notably the cultivar 'Mt. Airy') is not this species, but actually the pentaploid hybrid of Fothergilla gardenii × major (= F. ×intermedia Ranney & Fantz) (Ranney et al. 2007).
Other Comments: A hexaploid species 2n=6x=72.
Synonymy ⓘ: = Ar, FNA3, K4, NS, RAB, S, S13, Tn, W, Haynes et al (2020), Weaver (1969); = Fothergilla latifolia J.F. Miller — POWO; > Fothergilla monticola Ashe. Basionym: Fothergilla alnifolia L.f. var. major Sims 1810
Links to other floras: = Fothergilla major - FNA3
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Heliophily ⓘ: 6
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© Gary P. Fleming | Original Image ⭷
© Richard & Teresa Ware CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG | Original Image ⭷
© Gary P. Fleming | Original Image ⭷
© Scott Ward | Original Image ⭷
© Sonnia Hill | Original Image ⭷
© Richard & Teresa Ware CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG | Original Image ⭷
© Scott Ward | Original Image ⭷
© Richard & Teresa Ware CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG | Original Image ⭷
© Alan Cressler: Fothergilla major, East Palisades, Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Fulton County, Georgia 2 by Alan Cressler source | Original Image ⭷Feedback
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Height: 5-10 ft.
plant sale text: Mountain witch-alder is a choice native shrub that bears showy, white bottle-brush flowers in spring. It may be even more impressive in the fall, when the leaves provide an extravagant display of red, orange, and yellow. Mountain witch-alder is normally found growing on ridge tops, slopes, and riverbanks. Grow this shrub like an azalea, in good, well-drained soil that never dries out completely. Planting it in full sun will maximize bloom and leaf color.
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native range: southeastern United States
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