American Hazelnut Corylus americana
Other Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- kor-EE-lus a-mer-ih-KAY-na
- Description
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Hazelnut is a native deciduous shrub in the Betulaceae family that may grow 9 to 12 feet tall. It can be found naturally in rocky woodlands, forests, and thickets. The leaves are alternate with a double-toothed margin and hairy stem. The bark is gray-brown and smooth with a criss-cross netted pattern. Light brown, male flowers and red, female stigma and styles mature in early spring. The shrub produces a 1/2-inch brown nut that is enclosed in a hairy, leaf-like husk with ragged edges. Nuts are edible at maturity in the fall.
Seasons of Interest:
Leaf: Fall Blooms: Winter/early spring Nut/Fruit/Seed: Late summer/fall
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No serious insect or disease problems: Can be visited by scale, leafhoppers, and various foliage-eating caterpillars. Has occasional problems with leaf spots, blight, and crown gall. This plant suffers damage from deer
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Corylus
- Species:
- americana
- Family:
- Betulaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Nuts are similar in flavor to the European filbert, and may be roasted and eaten or ground into flour, but are also commonly left for the squirrels and birds.
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- United State and Canada
- Distribution:
- Eastern and Mid United States into Canada
- Fire Risk Rating:
- low flammability
- Wildlife Value:
- The nuts are eaten by songbirds, ruffed grouse, quail, wild turkeys, chipmunks, black bears, foxes, white-tailed deer, skunks, and squirrels. The twigs and leaves are browsed by white-tailed deer.
- Play Value:
- Edible fruit
- Screening
- Wildlife Cover/Habitat
- Wildlife Food Source
- Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):
- fire in the landscape.
- Edibility:
- Nuts are edible
- Dimensions:
- Height: 9 ft. 0 in. - 12 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 8 ft. 0 in. - 13 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Edible
- Native Plant
- Shrub
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Clumping
- Growth Rate:
- Medium
- Maintenance:
- Low
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight)
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Occasionally Dry
- Available Space To Plant:
- 12-24 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 4a, 4b, 5b, 5a, 6b, 6a, 7b, 7a, 8a, 8b, 9b, 9a
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Edible
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Summer
- Fruit Type:
- Nut
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- Female flowers develop into a small cluster of nuts enclosed by two protective bracts that turn brown when the nuts are ripe. Nuts are 1/2 inch in size. Display time is late summer and fall.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Red/Burgundy
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Catkin
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Winter
- Flower Size:
- 1-3 inches
- Flower Description:
- There are separate male and female flowers on the same plant. Several female flowers bloom together from a small swollen bud that is surrounded by protective bracts with only the red stigmata showing beyond the bracts. The male flowers are showier in 2-4 inch long yellow to yellow-brown catkins. Bloom time is winter and early spring.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Orange
- Red/Burgundy
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Ovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Doubly Serrate
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Up to 6 inches long by 4 inches wide oval leaves are dark green with doubly serrated margins. The lower surface has stiff short hairs. Fall color is variable and can be an attractive yellow-red to purple or a dull yellow-green.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Light Brown
- Light Gray
- Surface/Attachment:
- Smooth
- Bark Description:
- The bark is gray and smooth on young branches, becoming rougher on older branches and the trunk.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Green
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Surface:
- Hairy (pubescent)
- Stem Description:
- Light green stems with short hairs
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Naturalized Area
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Edible Garden
- Native Garden
- Design Feature:
- Barrier
- Hedge
- Mass Planting
- Screen/Privacy
- Attracts:
- Butterflies
- Small Mammals
- Songbirds
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Fire
