Hazel Totally Explained

The hazels (Corylus) are a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate northern hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae, though some botanists split the hazels (with the hornbeams and allied genera) into a separate family Corylaceae. They have simple, rounded leaves with double-serrate margins. The flowers are produced very early in spring before the leaves, and are monoecious, with single-sex catkins, the male pale yellow and 5–12 cm long, the female very small and largely concealed in the buds, with only the bright red 1–3 mm long styles visible. The seeds are nuts 1–2.5 cm long and 1–2 cm diameter, surrounded by an involucre (husk) which partly to fully encloses the nut. The species are grouped as follows:

Nut surrounded by a soft, leafy involucre. Multi-stemmed, suckering shrubs to 12m tall.
- Involucre short, about the same length as the nut.
  - Corylus americana — American Hazel. Eastern North America.
  - Corylus avellana — Common Hazel. Europe and western Asia.
  - Corylus heterophylla — Asian Hazel. Asia.
  - Corylus yunnanensis — Yunnan Hazel. Central and southern China.
- Involucre long, twice the length of the nut or more, forming a 'beak'.
  - Corylus colchica — Colchican Filbert. Caucasus.
  - Corylus cornuta — Beaked Hazel. North America.
  - Corylus maxima — Filbert. Southeastern Europe and southwest Asia.
  - Corylus sieboldiana — Asian Beaked Hazel. Northeastern Asia and Japan (syn. C. mandshurica).
- Nut surrounded by a stiff, spiny involucre. Single-stemmed trees to 20–35 m tall.
  - Involucre moderately spiny and also with glandular hairs.
    - Corylus chinensis — Chinese Hazel. Western China.
    - Corylus colurna — Turkish Hazel. Southeastern Europe and Asia Minor.
    - Corylus fargesii — Farges' Hazel. Western China.
    - Corylus jacquemontii — Jacquemont's Hazel. Himalaya.
    - Corylus wangii — Wang's Hazel. Southwest China.
  - Involucre densely spiny, resembling a chestnut burr.
    - Corylus ferox — Himalayan Hazel. Himalaya, Tibet and southwest China (syn. C. tibetica).

Several hybrids exist, and can occur between species in different sections of the genus, for example Corylus x colurnoides (C. avellana x C. colurna).

Uses

The nuts of all hazels are edible. The Common Hazel is the species most extensively grown for its nuts, followed in importance by the Filbert. Nuts are also harvested from the other species, but apart from the Filbert, none is of significant commercial importance.
A number of cultivars of the Common Hazel and Filbert are grown as ornamental plants in gardens, including forms with contorted stems (C. avellana 'Contorta', popularly known as "Harry Lauder's walking stick" from its gnarled appearance); with weeping branches (C. avellana 'Pendula'); and with purple leaves (C. maxima 'Purpurea').

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