Corylus americana Walter
American hazelnut
American hazelnut is native to eastern North America.
Plants: Typically a large multiply branched shrub almost spherical in shape and 8–12′ (2.4–3.7 m) high, this hazel sometimes takes the form of a small tree.
Leaves: Alternate, heart-shaped, with double serrations, 2½–5″ (6.3–12 cm) long. They are dark green, turning bright yellow to copper-colored in the fall.
Flowers: Hazelnuts are dioecious: male and female flowers appear on separate plants. Male flowers are yellow-brown catkins up to 8″ (20 cm) long and ⅛″ (5 mm) around. Female flowers are red, occurring on the tips of twigs, and only about ¼″ (6.3 mm) around.
Fruits: Nuts are in small groups of 1 to 4, each about ½″ (1.3 cm) around and individually wrapped in a ragged “sack” or husk.
Habitats: Streams, hedgerows, meadows, woodlands, roadsides, power line right-of-ways, and forest margins.
Edibility: Hazelnuts from this species are edible. They are not as large as those from cultivated varieties, but they are just as tasty. The thick shells contain a small, sweet kernel, which may be eaten fresh, roasted, or pressed for an edible oil.
Online References:
Corylus americana Walter var. indehiscens Palmer & Steyerm.
6/27/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Ayer, Massachusetts · ≈ 11 × 7″ (27 × 18 cm) 
7/15/2019 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, New Long Loop, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 4 × 6″ (10 × 15 cm) 
7/21/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Ayer, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (17 × 11 cm) 
or cornuta? · 10/25/2024 · River Point Conservation Area, Falmouth, Maine 
9/5/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, near Nashoba Hospital, Ayer, Massachusetts · ≈ 4½ × 4½″ (11 × 12 cm) 
6/27/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Ayer, Massachusetts · ≈ 9 × 7″ (21 × 17 cm) 
7/15/2021 · Brunswick Commons, Brunswick, Maine · ≈ 6 × 3½″ (14 × 9.4 cm) 
7/15/2021 · Brunswick Commons, Brunswick, Maine · ≈ 6 × 3½″ (14 × 9.4 cm) 
7/15/2019 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, New Long Loop, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm) 
8/7/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, near Nashoba Hospital, Ayer, Massachusetts · ≈ 2½ × 2″ (7 × 5.1 cm) 
7/15/2019 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, New Long Loop, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 8 × 5″ (20 × 13 cm) 
7/21/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Ayer, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm) 
6/27/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Ayer, Massachusetts · ≈ 15 × 10″ (39 × 26 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Rosidae | Roses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more |
| Order | Fagales | Birch, she-oak, beech, walnut, bayberry, others |
| Family | Betulaceae | Birch family: birches, alders, hazels, hornbeams and hop-hornbeams |
| Genus | Corylus | From the Greek korylos and the Latin corylus or corulus, “hazel, “ and a Latin name for the hazelnut or filbert. OR from the Greek korylos, or korys, “helmet,” referring to the husk on the nut |
| Species | americana | American |
Corylus americana description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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