Common Hazel, Common filbert, European Filbert, Harry Lauder's Walking Stick, Corkscrew Hazel, Hazel
Corylus avellana
Family: Betulaceae
What it is like
Bloom Color: Brown. Main Bloom Time: Early spring, Late spring, Mid spring. May also be known as: Aveleira, Avelinier, Avellana, Avellano, Coudrier, European Filbert, European Hazel, Haselnuss, Haselstrauch, Hazel, Hazel Nut, Noisetier, Noisetier Commun, Noisetier du Japon, Noisette, Noisettes. Form: Rounded.
Corylus avellana is a deciduous Tree growing to 6 m (19ft) by 3 m (9ft) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 4 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from January to April, and the seeds ripen from September to October. The species is monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and is pollinated by Wind. The plant is not self-fertile. It is noted for attracting wildlife. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very acid and very alkaline soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil. The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure.
Height (m): 6
Where it is found
Woods and hedgerows, especially on the slopes of hills, often on calcareous soils.
Europe, including Britain, from Norway to Spain and east to W. Asia.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 5
Seed - raw or roasted and used in breads, cakes, biscuits, sweets etc. An excellent nut for raw eating. They can also be liquidized and used as a plant milk. Rich in oil. The seed ripens in mid to late autumn and will probably need to be protected from squirrels. When kept in a cool place, and not shelled, the seed should store for at least 12 months. A clear yellow edible oil is obtained from the seed. It is used in salad dressings, baking etc.
Oil: Oil
Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.
Milk: made from plants, that is.
Medicine
Rating: 2
The bark, leaves, catkins and fruits are sometimes used medicinally. They are astringent, diaphoretic, febrifuge, nutritive and odontalgic. The seed is stomachic and tonic. The oil has a very gentle but constant and effective action in cases of infection with threadworm or pinworm in babies and young children.
Anthelmintic: Expels parasites from the gut.
Astringent: Produces contraction in living tissue, reducing the flow of secretions and discharges of blood, mucus, diarrhoea etc.
Diaphoretic: Induces perspiration.
Febrifuge: Reduces fevers.
Miscellany: Various medicinal actions that need more clarification.
Nutritive: A food for convalescents to help restore strength.
Stomachic: Aids and improves the action of the stomach.
Tonic: Improves general health. Slower acting than a stimulant, it brings steady improvement.
Other
Rating: 5
The seed contains up to 65% of a non-drying oil, used in paints, cosmetics etc. The whole seed can be used to polish and oil wood. It is very easy to apply and produces a nice finish. The finely ground seeds are used as an ingredient of face masks in cosmetics. Plants can be grown as a tall hedge. They need to be left untrimmed or only lightly trimmed if seed is required. The bark and leaves are a source of tannin. Wood - soft, easy to split, not very durable, beautifully veined. Used for inlay work, small items of furniture, hurdles, wattles, basketry, pea sticks etc. The twigs are used as dowsing rods by water diviners. The wood also yields a good quality charcoal, used by artists.
Basketry: Plant used in making baskets and other items such as chairs. Includes plants that are only used as an ornamental addition.
Charcoal: Used for fuel, drawing, deodorant, filter, fertilizer etc.
Cosmetic: Used to improve the physical appearence of a person.
Hedge: Plants that can be grown as hedges.
Miscellany: A rag-bag of items that are difficult to categorise.
Oil: Vegetable oils have many uses, as lubricants, lighting, soap and paint making, waterproofing etc. This does not include the edible oils unless they are also mentioned as having other uses.
Plant support: Usually bamboos, used as canes in the garden for holding up plants.
Polish: Plants used to give a shine to metals, wood 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.
Global Crop: These crops are already grown or traded around the world. The annual value of each is more than $1 billion US Examples include coconuts, almonds, and bananas.
Industrial Crop: Biomass: Three broad categories: bamboos, resprouting woody plants, and giant grasses. uses include: protein, materials (paper, building materials, fibers, biochar etc.), chemicals (biobased chemicals), energy - biofuels
Management: Coppice: Cut to the ground repeatedly - resprouting vigorously. Non-destructive management systems maintaining the soil organic carbon.
Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.
Staple Crop: Protein-oil: (16+ percent protein, 16+ percent oil). Annuals include soybeans, peanuts, sunflower seeds. Perennials include seeds, beans, nuts, and fruits such as almond, Brazil nut, pistachio, walnut, hazel, and safou.
Global Crop: These crops are already grown or traded around the world. The annual value of each is more than $1 billion US Examples include coconuts, almonds, and bananas.
Industrial Crop: Biomass: Three broad categories: bamboos, resprouting woody plants, and giant grasses. uses include: protein, materials (paper, building materials, fibers, biochar etc.), chemicals (biobased chemicals), energy - biofuels
Management: Coppice: Cut to the ground repeatedly - resprouting vigorously. Non-destructive management systems maintaining the soil organic carbon.
Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.
Staple Crop: Protein-oil: (16+ percent protein, 16+ percent oil). Annuals include soybeans, peanuts, sunflower seeds. Perennials include seeds, beans, nuts, and fruits such as almond, Brazil nut, pistachio, walnut, hazel, and safou.
Attracts Wildlife: Plants noted for attracting wildlife
Carbon Farming: Plants that can be a critical part of the solution to climate problems. The Carbon Farming Solution - Eric Toensmeier.
Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.
Hedge: Hedge
How it is grown
Landscape Uses:Container, Standard, Specimen. An easily grown plant, it succeeds in most soils, but is in general more productive of seeds when grown on soils of moderate fertility. It does less well in rich heavy soils or poor ones. Does well in a loamy soil. Very suitable for an alkaline soil, but it dislikes very acid soils. Succeeds in a pH range 4.5 to 8.5, but prefers a range of 5 to 7. Plants are fairly wind tolerant. A very hardy plant, succeeding in all areas of Britain. The flowers, however, are produced in late winter and early spring and can be damaged by heavy frosts at this time. A parent, together with C. maxima, of many cultivated forms of filberts and cob nuts. There are many named varieties. Plants are self-fertile but a more certain crop is obtained if more than one cultivar is grown. The main difference between cob nuts and filberts is that the husk of a filbert is longer than the seed and often completely encloses it, whilst the husk on a cob nut is shorter than the seed. Squirrels are a major pest of this plant, often decimating the crop of nuts. Often grown as a coppiced shrub in woodlands, the stems have a variety of uses. Members of this genus bear transplanting well and can be easily moved even when relatively large. A food plant for the caterpillars of many lepidoptera species. Special Features:Not North American native, Attractive flowers or blooms. The plant is heat tolerant in zones 9 through 1. (Plant Hardiness Zones show how well plants withstand cold winter temperatures. Plant Heat Zones show when plants would start suffering from the heat. The Plant Heat Zone map is based on the number of "heat days" experienced in a given area where the temperature climbs to over 86 degrees F (30°C). At this temperature, many plants begin to suffer physiological damage. Heat Zones range from 1 (no heat days) to 12 (210 or more heat days). For example Heat Zone. 11-1 indicates that the plant is heat tolerant in zones 11 through 1.) For polyculture design as well as the above-ground architecture (form - tree, shrub etc. and size shown above) information on the habit and root pattern is also useful and given here if available. A clumping plant, forming a colony from shoots away from the crown but with a limited spread. The root pattern is suckering with new plants from underground runners away from the plant.
Propagating it: Seed - best sown as soon as it is harvested in autumn in a cold frame. Germinates in late winter or spring. Stored seed should be pre-soaked in warm water for 48 hours and then given 2 weeks warm followed by 3 - 4 months cold stratification. Germinates in 1 - 6 months at 20°c. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a cold frame or sheltered place outdoors for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer. Layering in autumn. Easy, it takes about 6 months. Division of suckers in early spring. Very easy, they can be planted out straight into their permanent positions.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Secondary; Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Hedge;
Habit: Tree
Hardiness: 4-8
Growth: Medium
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Moist