(Image Credit: Balkan Ecology Project)Ī wind-pollinated plant, the pollen from the catkins blows to reach the female flowers. 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. 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. Resembling C.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 6 m high with a 5 m 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 5 m with a 5 m 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. Family – Betulaceae History Corylus avellana – Common Hazel (Image Credit: Balkan Ecology Project)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 maxima Common name – Hazel, Hazelnut, Cobnut, Filbert, Spanish Nut, Pontic Nut, Lombardy Nut. (Image Credit: Balkan Ecology Project) Overview The leafy bracts that envelope the nuts are the easiest way of telling the species apart.
This post we will focus solely on these popular nut producing species.ĭuring 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. 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. The two species produce slightly different shape nuts and take different growth forms.Ĭorylus avellana produces Hazelnuts and Corylus maxima produce Filberts. When we speak of Hazel, we are generally referring to two species, Corylus avellana and Corylus maxima. 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. Mo’ Mulberry – The Essential Guide to all you need to know about Mulberry
HAZEL COPPICE HOW TO
Paul Alfrey from Balkan Ecology Project takes a close look at these incredible plants including how to grow them, the uses of Mulberry and growing Mulberry in polycultures, permaculture and agroforestry.
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