Hazelnuts

Native Shrubs ... in wildlife landscaping

West Virginia Native Plant Society
West Virginia Nongame Wildlife Program

American Hazelnut - Corylus americana
Beaked Hazelnut - C. cornuta

  Form: American - Shrub to 9 feet tall.
Beaked - Shrub 3 to 9 feet tall.
  Bark and Twigs: American - Young shoots and twigs are bristly with stiff hairs that fall off after the first year
Beaked - Twigs smooth, not glandular-bristly.
  Leaves: In general are simple, alternate, deciduous.
American - Ovate 3 to 6 inches long, toothed margin, autumn color yellow.
Beaked - Oval and pointed at the tip, 2 to 4 inches long, toothed margin, autumn color yellow.
  Flowers: Inconspicuous.
  Fruit: American - September-October, Round thin-shelled brown nut 1/2 inch in diameter and enclosed in a cut-toothed leafy husk.
Beaked - September, similar to American but leafy husks form a long beak-like protrusion which gives the plant its common name.
West Virginia Range:
American - Throughout the state.
Beaked - Locally frequent throughout the state but less common than American.
Natural Habitat:
American - Thickets and along roadbanks in well-drained loamy or gravelly soil.
Beaked - Rich thickets, clearings and borders of woods.
Wildlife Use:
Buds and twigs are browsed by deer. Nuts eaten by squirrels, chipmunks, bluejays, grouse, quail, pheasants, deer and probably other animals.
Horticulture:
Uses: Informal uses or naturalizing and clumps.
Light: Partial shade to full sun.
Soil Moisture: Dry to moist.
Soil pH: Acid to neutral.
Problems: Must be pruned to maintain a respectable form.

Compiled by: Joseph Glencoe, Professor of Biology, West Virginia Wesleyan College, Buckhannon, West Virginia (now deceased)

Written by West Virginia Native Plant Society members and jointly published with the WV Nongame Program

Illustration from Flora of West Virginia, Strausbaugh and Core