Chilean Hazel
Gevuina avellana
Family: Proteaceae
What it is like
Gevuina avellana is an evergreen Shrub growing to 10 m (32ft) by 10 m (32ft) at a slow rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 9 and is frost tender. It is in leaf all year, in flower from June to August, and the seeds ripen in October. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid and neutral soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland). It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 10
Where it is found
Wet mountain forests, where it rapidly colonizes cleared areas. Grows from the snow-line down to the coast along the Pacific coast of the Andes. It is seldom found in groups.
S. America - Chile.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
Argentina, Australia, Britain, Chile*, New Zealand, North America, South America, Tasmania, UK, USA,
How it is used
Food
Rating: 3
Seed - raw or cooked. A pleasant taste, similar to cob nuts. A popular food in Chile where it is often sold in local markets and is a much sought after item of diet. The seed contains about 12.5% protein, 49.5% oil, 24.1% carbohydrate. The roasted seed is used as a coffee substitute.
Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.
Coffee: the various substitutes that can be used instead of coffee.
Medicine
Rating: 0
Other
Rating: 3
The seedcase is a source of tannin. Wood - light, strong, easily worked, elastic, not very durable. It is used for furniture, oars, roof-shingles etc.
Tannin: An astringent substance obtaied from plants, it is used medicinally, as a dye and mordant, stabilizer in pesticide etc.
Wood: A list of the trees and shrubs that are noted for having useful wood.
Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.
New Crop: Most new crops were important wild plants until recently, although some are the result of hybridization. They have been developed in the last few, decades. What they have in common is that they are currently cultivated by farmers. Examples include baobab, argan, and buffalo gourd.
Staple Crop: Oil: (0-15 percent protein, 16+ percent oil). Some of these are consumed whole while others are exclusively pressed for oil. Annuals include canola, poppyseed, maize, cottonseed, sunflower, peanut. Perennials include high-oil fruits, seeds, and nuts, such as olive, coconut, avocado, oil palm, shea, pecan, and macadamia. Some perennial oil crops are consumed whole as fruits and nuts, while others are exclusively pressed for oil (and some are used fresh and for oil).
Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.
New Crop: Most new crops were important wild plants until recently, although some are the result of hybridization. They have been developed in the last few, decades. What they have in common is that they are currently cultivated by farmers. Examples include baobab, argan, and buffalo gourd.
Staple Crop: Oil: (0-15 percent protein, 16+ percent oil). Some of these are consumed whole while others are exclusively pressed for oil. Annuals include canola, poppyseed, maize, cottonseed, sunflower, peanut. Perennials include high-oil fruits, seeds, and nuts, such as olive, coconut, avocado, oil palm, shea, pecan, and macadamia. Some perennial oil crops are consumed whole as fruits and nuts, while others are exclusively pressed for oil (and some are used fresh and for oil).
Carbon Farming: Plants that can be a critical part of the solution to climate problems. The Carbon Farming Solution - Eric Toensmeier.
How it is grown
Requires a lime-free soil and a sheltered position. Requires a well-drained moist fertile soil. Best grown in semi-shade, the plant prefers woodland conditions. A very ornamental plant, when dormant it is hardy to -10°c in a sheltered woodland environment, but succeeds outdoors only in the milder areas of Britain, growing well in Devon and Cornwall. The young growth in spring, even on mature plants, is frost-tender and so it is best to grow the plants in a position sheltered from the early morning sun. Plants flower and set viable seed every year at Coleton Fishacre in S. Devon. In general, however, flowering is unreliable in cool temperate zones. The leaves are very variable in shape, ranging from pinnate to bipinnate, the leaflets varying in number from 3 to 30. There is probably some form of symbiotic relationship with a fungus in the soil that the plants are dependant upon. Plants are very intolerant of root disturbance.
Propagating it: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse. Sow stored seed as soon as possible in the year. The seed often germinates well but then sickens and dies, it has been suggested that this is due to the plants need of a symbiotic relationship with a soil-borne fungus. Adding some soil from around a growing plant to the seed compost might improve success rates. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts, and consider giving them some protection from the cold for their first winter or two outdoors. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame. Layering - hard pruning provides lots of material.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Secondary; Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; South Wall. By. West Wall. By.
Habit: Shrub
Hardiness: 8-11
Growth: Slow
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Semi-shade
Moisture: Moist