Corylus avellana L.

Shrubs , broadly spreading, to 5(--8) m. Bark coppery brown, smooth, sometimes exfoliating in thin papery strips. Branches ascending; twigs pubescent, covered with bristly glandular hairs. Winter buds containing inflorescences ovoid, 5--6 × 3--4 mm, apex obtuse. Leaves: petiole pubescent, covered with bristly glandular hairs. Leaf blade broadly ovate to broadly elliptic, often nearly angled to lobulate near apex, 5--12 × 4--12 cm, moderately thin, base narrowly cordate to narrowly rounded, margins coarsely and doubly serrate, apex abruptly acuminate, abaxially sparsely to moderately pubescent, velutinous to tomentose along major veins and in vein axils. Inflorescences: staminate catkins lateral along branchlets on relatively long short shoots, usually in clusters of 2--4, 3--8 × 0.7--1 cm; peduncles mostly 5--12 mm. Nuts in clusters of 2--4; bracts much enlarged, distinct nearly to base, expanded, shorter than to only slightly longer than nuts, apex deeply lobed; bract surfaces pubescent. 2 n = 22, 28.

A temperate climate plant. They are very frost resistant. They need a certain minimum cold requirement for good production of nuts, so are basically unsuited to the tropics. They need 800-1600 hours of chilling, about the same as apples. They grow in light, well-drained soils, in a protected, partly shaded position. They are drought tender. The flowers can withstand frosts down to-8°C and the wood down to-20°C or-30°C. It suits hardiness zones 4-8. Arboretum Tasmania. Hobart Botanical Gardens.

The nuts are eaten. They are also roasted and used in bread, cakes, and confectionary. The seeds are eaten both raw and dried. The kernels have a fatty oil which is edible. The male flowers are eaten. The leaves are used for sarma in Turkey. They are rolled around a filling of rice or minced meat.

Plants are grown from seed. Once established, they can be grown from suckers, layering or cuttings. They are often pruned to a single trunk, to make harvesting easier. Trees normally cannot be pollinated from flowers on the same tree. They mostly require cross pollination by wind from suitable pollinator trees. Trees transplant fairly easily. A spacing of 3 m x 3 m is suitable.