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Season: Late Summer & Fall

Urban, Rural or Both: Rural

The Beaked Hazelnut (Corylus cornuta) and the American Hazelnut (Corylus americana). Similar in flavor to the commercial Hazelnut, often called the Filbert, but even better, though they are smaller. They are shrubs, and can be very large shrubs, most often found on the edges of woods and openings in woods. I find them very nice looking, and exotic looking shrubs when you find one with Hazelnuts in the husks.

Many people find the hairs on the outer husk irritating to the skin, as they can dig in, so you should use gloves when dealing with them. Once the outer husk is removed, you can save them and use them just like the commercially grown Filberts. I have to confess, I end up eating all I have gathered the same day - they are really tasty. They crack with a regular nutcracker, and can also be used in baked goods. If the meat in the nut looks shriveled, don't eat.

Recipe search on the web here (Google search) and here (Bing search).

Growing these shrubs in your home garden:

Very good food producing, nice looking border shrub or a shrub for the center of the yard. Will start to produce nuts in a few years and can be started by planting the nuts right away after being gathered - they should sprout in the spring. Often if you find one of these shrubs, there will be many around, and transplanting a small one is a good way to start. Transplant when dormant after leaves fall in late fall or before buds open in spring. If transplanting a root sucker, best to do it in early spring. You only need one as they are self-pollinating. This is a really nice looking shrub in the fall as well.

For detailed growing instructions, go to my Wild Foods Home Garden website Hazelnuts page.

Beaked Hazelnut Description: (Corylus cornuta):

• Plant Size: Up to 8 meters (26 feet) tall, though usually shorter than that. Often found in groups
• Duration: Perennial Shrub
• Leaf Shape: Close to round Ovate
• Leaf Phyllotaxis (Leaf Arrangement) on branch: Alternate
• Leaf Size: 5-11 cm (2 to 4 1/3 inches) long and 3-8 cm (1 1/5 to 3 inches) wide
• Leaf Margin: Double Serrated (saw toothed edge)
• Leaf Notes: Leaf underside is hairy
• Flowers: Male: long, narrow multi-flowered catkins that hang from branches, form in the fall. Female: short red flowers
• Fruit: A nut that looks like the commercially grown Filbert but smaller, in a thin husk that is hairy and extends outward up to 4 cm (1 1/2 inches) forming what looks like a beak - hence the name
• Bark: Smooth, grey, young twigs are reddish to green and covered with hairs
• Habitat: Drier areas, edges of woods and openings in woods

• Pictures on the web here (Google images) and here (Bing images).
• USDA distribution map and plant profile here.
• The Biota of North America Program (BONAP) distribution map here. BONAP map color key here.

American Hazelnut Description: (Corylus americana):

• Plant Size: Generally up to 3 meters (10 feet) tall as a shrub, but on occasion can grow larger when it takes a small tree form
• Duration: Perennial Shrub, though occasionally is found as a small tree
• Leaf Shape: Broad Ovate
• Leaf Phyllotaxis (Leaf Arrangement) on branch: Alternate
• Leaf Size: Up to 12.5 cm (5 inches) long
• Leaf Margin: Double Serrated (saw toothed edge)
• Leaf Notes: Upper side of leaf is dark green, underside is paler, stem is hairy and very often red
• Flowers: Male: long, narrow multi-flowered catkins that hang from branches, form in the fall. Female: short red flowers
• Fruit: Nuts mature in September to October. Thin husk, green, yellow, red and brown tones when ripe. Nut inside looks like commercially grown Filbert but is smaller. Brown with light tan end
• Bark: Young twigs covered in hairs, red. Older twigs brown. More mature branch bark is light grey and smooth.
• Habitat: Variety of habitats, but most common on edges of woods or openings in woods in deep, rich sandy loams.

• Pictures on the web here (Google images) and here (Bing images).
• USDA distribution map and plant profile here.
• The Biota of North America Program (BONAP) distribution map here. BONAP map color key here.

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