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| ## American hazelnut {#american-hazelnut .Title-Header}               |
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| *Corylus americana* Walt.                                             |
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| Plant Symbol = COAM3                                                  |
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####### *Contributed By: USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center & the Biota of North America Program*

####### Alternate common name 

American filbert

####### Uses

Hazelnuts and filberts are produced by species of *Corylus*. Commercial
filberts (*C. colurna* L. and *C. maxima* Mill.) are cultivated in
various parts of the world, particularly Turkey, Italy, Spain, China,
and the US. Nuts of the two native American species (*C. americana* and
*C. cornuta*) are smaller but similar to the cultivated ones in flavor,
and *C. cornuta* also is commercially cultivated for nut production. The
nuts of both species are sweet and may be eaten raw or ground into flour
for cake-like bread. The nuts were used by American Indians to flavor
soups.

The nuts of American hazelnut, which have a higher nutritional value
than acorns and beechnuts, also are eaten by squirrels, foxes, deer,
northern bobwhite, ruffed grouse, turkey, woodpeckers, pheasants, and
deer. The leaves, twigs, and catkins are browsed by rabbits, deer, and
moose. The male catkins are a winter food for turkey and ruffed grouse.
The dense, low growth habit provides cover and nesting sites for many
wildlife species.

Extractives of American hazelnut and their physically modified
derivatives, primarily glycerides of the fatty acids, are used for
emollients. Other derivatives, such as tinctures, concretes, absolutes,
essential oils,

oleoresins, terpenes, terpene-free fractions, distillates, and residues
are used for botanicals.

American hazelnut has long been valued as an ornamental and for planting
in naturalized settings. It grows in sun or partial shade and is useful
for borders because of its colonial tendency. The leaves turn orange to
red or purple in the fall. It is available from various commercial
growers -- there apparently are no cultivars apart from the wild type.
Cultivars of the European filbert (*C. avellana* L.) tend to be small
trees and also are useful in landscaping.
![](media/image2.jpeg){width="2.598611111111111in"
height="1.7354166666666666in"}

####### Status

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural
Resources for this plant's current status, such as, state noxious status
and wetland indicator values.

####### Description

*General:* Birch family (Betulaceae). Native shrubs growing 1-3(-4)
meters tall, strongly rhizomatous and forming colonial thickets; main
stems (or trunk) straight, with spreading, ascending branches, the twigs
slender, zigzag, light brown, with numerous stiff, red-glandular hairs.
Leaves are deciduous, alternate, broadly oval with a heart-shaped or
rounded base, 8-12(-15) cm long and 12 cm wide, acuminate, doubly
serrate, hairy beneath, the petiole with stiff, glandular hairs. Male
(staminate) and female (pistillate) flowers are separate, but both types
present on each plant (the species monoecious); male flowers numerous in
long, pendulous stalks (catkins) 8-10 cm long, in clusters of two or
three near branch tips, appearing in the fall, but opening the following
spring. Female flowers are several in a scaly bud, tiny and
inconspicuous with only bright red stigma and styles protruding from the
gray-brown buds, almost completely enclosed by bracts, near the end of
the twigs. Fruit is a light brown, acorn-like nut 1-2 cm long, wider
than long, enclosed in two, leafy, coarsely toothed (husk-like) bracts.
The common name reflects its being native to North America and "hazel"
is from the Old English name for filbert.

*Variation within the species*: several variants have been described
within the species: *Corylus americana* var. *indehiscens* Palmer &
Steyermark (fruit bracts united along one side) from southwestern
Missouri; *Corylus americana* forma *missouriensis* (A. DC.) Fern.
(petioles essentially glandless) from southeastern Kansas. These have
not been generally recognized, and the species is currently treated with
no formal variants.

Distinguished from beaked hazelnut (*Corylus cornuta*) by absence of a
horned beak on the fruit.

*Distribution:* Widespread in eastern North America, Maine west to
Saskatchewan and North Dakota, south to eastern Oklahoma, Arkansas, and
Georgia, not found along the Gulf coast region. For current
distribution, please consult the Plant Profile page for this species on
the PLANTS Web site.

####### Adaptation 

American hazelnut occurs in moist to dry woods and thickets, forest
margins, roadsides, and fencerows and other disturbed areas. It grows
best on rich, moist, well-drained soils but often may be found close to
streamsides and also grows on prairies. Open habitats are common, but it
also can grow successfully in deep shade and is found at 0-750 at meters
in elevation. This species flowers in March--May before the emergence of
leaves and fruits in July--September.

####### Establishment

Plants of American hazelnut may begin producing seed after the first
year and produce good seed crops every 2-3 years. The seeds have a
period of dormancy, apparently overcome by cold treatment.

####### Management

American hazelnut is removed by growers of commercial, closely managed
forests, primarily because of its aggressive colonial habit and
corresponding competition with timber trees. It is easily top-killed by
spring and summer fires. The underground roots and rhizomes can survive
low- to moderate-severity fires when the humus is moist, but they are
relatively shallow and vulnerable to repeated summer fires when the
humus is dry and combustible.

American hazelnut is not affected by any serious pests. Several
canker-forming fungi may result in girdling or breakage of stems. Mildew
may defoliate plants and fungi may destroy nuts.

####### Cultivars, Improved and Selected Materials (and area of origin)

Sun Harvest Germplasm American hazelnut was released from the Elsberry
Plant Materials Center in 2007. Sun Harvest Germplasm is a composite of
six accessions that were collected in Illinois and Missouri. The 6
accessions that comprise Sun Harvest Germplasm were selected from a
total of 14 accessions for greater canopy symmetry, plant height, nut
production and insect/disease resistance. Sun Harvest Germplasm provides
excellent wildlife food and habit. Also, it may be useful as a medium
sized tree component in windbreaks.

Contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly Soil
Conservation Service) office for more information. Look in the phone
book under "United States Government." The Natural Resources
Conservation Service will be listed under the subheading "Department of
Agriculture."

####### References

Brunner, F. & D.E. Fairbrothers 1979. *Serological investigation of the
Corylaceae*. Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 106:97-103.

Buckman, R.E. 1964. *Effects of prescribed burning on hazel in
Minnesota.* Ecology 45:626-629.

Coladonato, M. 1993. *Corylus americana*. IN: W.C. Fischer (compiler).
*The fire effects information system* \[Data base\]. USDA, Forest
Service, Intermountain Research Station, Intermountain Fire Sciences
Laboratory, Missoula, Montana. \<http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/\>

Drumke, J.S. 1965. *A systematic survey of Corylus in North America.*
Diss. Abstr. 25:4925-4926.

Furlow, J.J. 1990. *The genera of Betulaceae in the southeastern United
States.* J. Arnold Arbor. 71:1-67.

Furlow, J.J. 1993. *Corylus*. Pp. 535-538, IN: *Flora of North America,
north of Mexico*. *Vol. 3*. Oxford Univ. Press, New York, New York.
\<http://hua.huh.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/Flora/flora.pl?FLORA_ID=12395\>

Hardin, J.W. 1952. *The Juglandaceae and Corylaceae of Tennessee.*
Castanea 17:78-89.

Kasapligil, B. 1964. *A contribution to the histotaxonomy of Corylus
(Betulaceae).* Adansonia 4:43-90.

Kasapligil, B. 1972. *A bibliography on Corylus (Betulaceae) with
annotations.* Northern Nut Growers Ann. Rept. 63:107-162.

####### 

####### 

####### Prepared By

*Guy Nesom*

Formerly BONAP, North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North
Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

####### Species Coordinator

*James F. Henson*

USDA, NRCS, National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Edited: 13nov00 jsp; 10jun03 ahv; 05jun06 jsp; 11apr07 rlc; 29jun07 jsp

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your
local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS
Web site\<[http://plants.usda.gov](http://plants.usda.gov/)\> or the
Plant Materials Program Web site
\<[http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov](http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov/)\>

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