Some similarities to : Witch-Hazel trees such as Chinese Witch-Hazel which is also a tree bearing yellow, 4-petalled flowers very early in the year well before the leaves, but here the flowers are arranged on longish stalks emanating from a single point in a semi-globe. The globed flowers as a whole attaches directly to twigs and branches without stalks in a similar way.

Slight resemblance to : Ivy and Japanese Aralia which has similar semi-globed creamy-yellow flowers.

Uniquely identifiable characteristics

Distinguishing Feature :

No relation to : Cherry trees such as Bird Cherry, Cherry Laurel, Wild Cherry, Dwarf Cherry, Rum Cherry, St. Lucie's Cherry or Cherry-Plum [trees belonging to the Rose Family].

A shrub or small tree up to 4m high. It is mostly planted and is very rarely found growing wild in Britain. Where it is naturalised, it is found in woods and hedges, such as at Hargham, Norfolk. It flowers in February to March, very early in the year and before the leaves have appeared. In the UK the red berried fruit, which is prolate spheroidal in shape, is edible but rarely appears.

The tree is a popular parks and garden tree which also grows wild, but is native in Southern Europe, The Middle East and the Caucasus. Having one of the hardest woods to be found growing in europe it is used in the manufacture of machine parts, tool handles and rifle butts.

The berries are red, and elongated tapering slightly at the petiole end from where they droop. They are appear after the very early pale-yellow flowers have opened in late Winter to Early Spring and are similar in colour and shape to the berries of Thunberg's Barberry (Berberis tunbergii) but longer at 2cm long. However, in Northern Europe and the UK the berries will only appear after long hot summers. The tree is hardy to -20°C. When ripe the berries are edible and have a rather pleasantly acidic tang. They are used to make both jam and not only summer drinks but also to flavour liqueurs and spirits in some Eastern European and Middle East countries. The leaves turn an attractive dark-purple in Autumn.