![]() Spain, France, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and the United States produce most of the rest.Įcology – Hazel flowers are an important source of pollen for bees and other pollinators. Italy produces about 20% of world production. About 70% of the world’s hazelnut production comes from the black sea region of northern Turkey. Hazelnut-producing regions of the world are all close to large bodies of water, which moderate the climate. Hazel grows naturally up to altitudes of 700m. They can be found in hedges, meadows and pastures, on the banks of streams, waste places, abandoned plantings, the edges of woods, on steep slopes and by paths and roadsides. As a component of ancient forests they prefer moist lowland soil and are often found growing in the shade of deciduous trees, especially oak. Corylus avellana is native to the Balkans and Asia Minor but is widely naturalised elsewhere.īoth species are pioneer plants found in a range of habitats. Growing range – Corylus avellana is native to western Asia, north Africa and most of Europe, from British Isles eastwards to Russia and the Caucasus, and from central Scandinavia southwards to Turkey. If successfully pollinated and fertilised the female flower will grow to become 1-4 nuts for C. They are tiny individual flowers, visible only as red styles protruding from a green bud-like structure on the same branches as the male flowers.Ī wind pollinated plant, the pollen from the catkins blows to reach the female flowers. Contrary to the wonderful spectacle of the male flowers, female flowers are almost invisible unless you are actively looking for them. Give the catkins a flick in late February to see a small cloud of pollen erupt. There are around 240 male flowers in each catkin and these produce the pollen. The male flowers are held in catkins that form during the previous summer and open in the dead of winter and flower through to early spring. Sexual reproduction – As mentioned above, the plants are monoecious, producing male and female flowers on the same plant. The female flowers are tiny red tassels that emerge from buds on the stems. The male flowers are encased in catkins that brighten up the landscape in the winter. avellana but with young grey twigs, glandular and bristly leaves that are wider, longer catkins and leafy bracts that are tubular and closed, twice the length of the nut. The leafy bracts are shorter than the nut.ĭescription – Corylus maxima – Grows as a large shrub 6m high with a 5m spread. The leaves, that open in late April and May and fall in November, are almost circular with double toothed edges and a short pointed tip. Evidence of large-scale Mesolithic nut processing, some 9,000 years old, was found in Scotland and hazels have been used extensively across the temperate zone throughout all civilizations.ĭescription – Corylus avellana – Grows as a small tree or large shrub commonly reaching heights of 5m with a 5m spread, but sometimes can reach twice that height and takes a tree like form. Humans have been enjoying hazels since prehistoric times and it is thought by some that hazelnuts provided a staple source of food before the days of wheat. History – Pollen counts reveal that Corylus avellana was the first of the temperate deciduous forest trees to immigrate, establish itself and then become abundant in the post glacial period. Latin name – Corylus avellana, Corylus maximaĬommon name – Hazel, Hazelnut, Cobnut, Filbert, Spanish Nut, Pontic Nut, Lombardy Nut ![]() The leafy bracts that envelope the nuts are the easiest way of telling them apartĭuring this post we’ll take a close look at these versatile plants, including how and where to grow them, growing them in polycultures, how they can be used in agroforestry systems, coppicing hazel, and we’ll look at some of my favourite hardy productive and disease resistant cultivars that we are offering from our Bionursery. This post we will focus solely on these popular nut producing species. There are 14-18 species in the Corylus genus but many of the European cultivars we have nowadays are Corylus avellana, Corylus maxima or the result of hybrids between these two species. Corylus avellana produce hazelnuts and Corylus maxima produce filberts. The two species produce slightly different shaped nuts and take different growth forms. When we speak of hazel, we are generally referring to two species, Corylus avellana and Corylus maxima. What more can I say… a plant so good people started naming their daughters after it. Hazel is a multi-purpose champion of a plant that is super easy to grow, produces delicious nuts, pliable wood that can be crafted into a variety of products, provides early fodder for bees and an encouraging spectacle when flowering during the mid winter.
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