Hamamelidaceae

Alternate, often asymmetric-based leaves on shrubs and trees; small flowers carry unusually narrow, strap-shaped petals that curl tightly in bud and unfurl like tiny ribbons when the flower opens, often in the cold season when few other plants bloom.

Several species flower in late autumn or winter, curling their thin ribbon-like petals back up tightly on freezing nights and unrolling them again once temperatures rise.

To check whether a plant belongs to Hamamelidaceae, compare the leaf arrangement, leaf type, flower symmetry, fruit type, and one distinctive marker together. A single feature can mislead; the family pattern is the combination.