Summary: Corylus avellana (English Filbert) is a plant in the Betulaceae family. Verdica documents 5 traditional uses, 134 phytochemical compounds, and 22 herb-drug interactions for this species.
Corylus species The hazel is a genus of deciduous shrubby trees and large shrubs native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. Some Corylus species can tolerate Mediterranean climates if provided with sufficient water and are not well-suited to arid or semi-arid climates. Worth considering is Beaked Hazel (C. cornuta), whose native range is Canada to the U.S.A., including California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Washington. Turkish Hazel (C. colurna) native range from SE. Europe to N. Iran. including Greece, Iran, North Caucasus, Romania, Transcaucasus, and Turkey and has been introduced to Spain. European or Common Hazelnut (C. avellana) native range is Europe to the Caucasus, including Corsica, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Sardinia, Sicily, Spain and Turkey. It has sweet nuts with a thin shell. Suitable cultivars are ‘Cosford’, ‘Pearson’s Prolific’ and ‘Red Majestic’. The sweet nuts of all hazels, cultivated for centuries, are edible and will make a tasty addition to any food forest. Often grown as a coppiced shrub in woodlands, regenerating shoots allow for stem harvests every few years. Coppicing is a traditional woodland management method where stems are repeatedly cut down near the ground, creating a timber self-renewing source. Make wattle fencing, thatching spars, walking sticks, fishing rods, basketry, and pea and bean sticks from the new growth. Most tree species will coppice, but hazel, sweet chestnut, ash and lime are more suited. Coppicing hazel prevents over-shading, allowing ground layer plants to thrive and creating dense wildlife habitats. Hazel coppice cycles are 7-10 years. The flat, suckering root pattern forms a plate near the soil surface. The sweet nuts are excellent raw or roasted for bread, cakes, biscuits, pies, and sweets. Liquidized with water, they make tasty plant milk. Extracted hazelnut oil is used for salad dressings and cooking. The nuts keep for at least 12 months if unshelled. Fertile soils can lead to excessive growth and inferior crop sizes. Planting two or more cultivars and growing in groups produces better pollination. Larger nuts are grown on old wood. Bloom Color: Brown. Main Bloom Time: Early spring, Late spring, Mid spring. May Form: Rounded.
| Sunlight | Full sun |
| Watering | Moderate — keep soil moist |
| Soil | Moist, loamy, acidic, alkaline |
| Hardiness Zone | USDA 4-8 |
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