Hazel - wikipedia Hazel For other uses, see Hazel ( disambiguation ). Hazel Common hazel ( Corylus avellana ) Scientific classification Kingdom : Plantae Clade : Angiosperms Clade : Eudicots Clade : Rosids Order : Fagales Family : Betulaceae Subfamily : Coryloideae Genus : Corylus L. Synonyms Lopima Dochnahl Young male catkins of Corylus avellana The hazel ( Corylus ) is a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae, though some botanists split the hazels ( with the hornbeams and allied genera ) into a separate family Corylaceae. The fruit of the hazel is the hazelnut. Hazels have simple, rounded leaves with double - serrate margins. The flowers are produced very early in spring before the leaves, and are monoecious, with single - sex catkins, the male catkins are pale yellow and 5 -- 12 cm long, and the female ones are very small and largely concealed in the buds, with only the bright - red, 1 - to - 3 mm - long styles visible. The fruits are nuts 1 -- 2.5 cm long and 1 -- 2 cm diameter, surrounded by an involucre ( husk ) which partly to fully encloses the nut. The shape and structure of the involucre, and also the growth habit ( whether a tree or a suckering shrub ), are important in the identification of the different species of hazel. The pollen of hazel species, which are often the cause for allergies in late winter or early spring, can be identified under magnification ( 600X ) by their characteristic granular exines bearing three conspicuous pores. Contents 1 Species 2 Uses 2.1 Mythology and folklore 3 Gallery 4 References 5 External links Species Corylus has 14 -- 18 species. The circumscription of species in eastern Asia is disputed, with WCSP and the Flora of China differing in which taxa are accepted ; within this region, only those taxa accepted by both sources are listed below. The species are grouped as follows : Nut surrounded by a soft, leafy involucre, multiple - stemmed, suckering shrubs to 12 m tall Involucre short, about the same length as the nut Corylus americana -- American hazel, eastern North America Corylus avellana -- Common hazel, Europe and western Asia Corylus heterophylla -- Asian hazel, Asia Corylus yunnanensis -- Yunnan hazel, central and southern China Involucre long, twice the length of the nut or more, forming a ' beak ' Corylus colchica -- Colchican filbert, Caucasus Corylus cornuta -- Beaked hazel, North America Corylus maxima -- Filbert, southeastern Europe and southwest Asia Corylus sieboldiana -- Asian beaked hazel, northeastern Asia and Japan ( syn. C. mandshurica ) Nut surrounded by a stiff, spiny involucre, single - stemmed trees to 20 -- 35 m tall Involucre moderately spiny and also with glandular hairs Corylus chinensis -- Chinese hazel, western China Corylus colurna -- Turkish hazel, southeastern Europe and Asia Minor Corylus fargesii -- Farges ' hazel, western China Corylus jacquemontii -- Jacquemont 's hazel, Himalaya Corylus wangii -- Wang 's hazel, southwest China Involucre densely spiny, resembling a chestnut burr Corylus ferox -- Himalayan hazel, Himalaya, Tibet and southwest China ( syn. C. tibetica ). Several hybrids exist, and can occur between species in different sections of the genus, e.g. Corylus × colurnoides ( C. avellana × C. colurna ). The oldest confirmed hazel species is Corylus johnsonii found as fossils in the Ypresian - age rocks of Ferry County, Washington. Uses A hazel coppice in winter at Bubbenhall in Warwickshire, England. The nuts of all hazels are edible. The common hazel is the species most extensively grown for its nuts, followed in importance by the filbert. Nuts are also harvested from the other species, but apart from the filbert, none is of significant commercial importance. A number of cultivars of the common hazel and filbert are grown as ornamental plants in gardens, including forms with contorted stems ( C. avellana ' Contorta ', popularly known as `` Harry Lauder 's walking stick '' from its gnarled appearance ) ; with weeping branches ( C. avellana ' Pendula ' ) ; and with purple leaves ( C. maxima ' Purpurea ' ). Hazel is a traditional material used for making wattle, withy fencing, baskets, and the frames of coracle boats. The tree can be coppiced, and regenerating shoots allow for harvests every few years. Hazels are used as food plants by the larvae of various species of Lepidoptera. Mythology and folklore The Celts believed hazelnuts gave one wisdom and inspiration. There are numerous variations on an ancient tale that nine hazel trees grew around a sacred pool, dropping into the water nuts that were eaten by salmon ( a fish sacred to Druids ), which absorbed the wisdom. A Druid teacher, in his bid to become omniscient, caught one of these special salmon and asked a student to cook the fish, but not to eat it. While he was cooking it, a blister formed and the pupil used his thumb to burst it, which he naturally sucked to cool, thereby absorbing the fish 's wisdom. This boy was called Fionn Mac Cumhail ( Fin McCool ) and went on to become one of the most heroic leaders in Gaelic mythology. `` The Hazel Branch '' from Grimms ' Fairy Tales claims that hazel branches offer the greatest protection from snakes and other things that creep on the earth. Gallery Form ( Farges ' hazel ) Male catkins ( common hazel ) Female flower ( common hazel ) Leaves and nuts with spiny husks ( Turkish hazel ) Hazelnuts References Jump up ^ Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families Jump up ^ Germplasm Resources Information Network : Corylus Jump up ^ Chen, Z. - D. et al. ( 1999 ). Phylogeny and evolution of the Betulaceae as inferred from DNA sequences, morphology, and paleobotany. Amer. J. Bot. 86 : 1168 -- 1181. Available online. ^ Jump up to : Rushforth, K. ( 1999 ). Trees of Britain and Europe. Collins ISBN 0 - 00 - 220013 - 9. ^ Jump up to : Huxley, A., ed. ( 1992 ). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. Macmillan ISBN 0 - 333 - 47494 - 5. Jump up ^ Bean, W.J. ( 1976 ). Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles 8th ed., vol. 1. John Murray ISBN 0 - 7195 - 1790 - 7. Jump up ^ Erdogan, V. & Mehlenbacher, S.A. ( 2002 ). Phylogenetic analysis of hazelnut species ( Corylus, Corylacae ) based on morphology and phenology. Sist. Bot. Dergisi 9 : 83 -- 100. Jump up ^ Nature 10, 355 - 355 ( 03 September 1874 ) doi : 10.1038 / 010355b0 ( Letters to the Editor ). Retrieved 23 February 2014. Jump up ^ WCSP : Corylus Jump up ^ Flora of China : Corylus Jump up ^ Flora of North America : Corylus Jump up ^ Pigg, K.B. ; Manchester S.R. ; Wehr W.C. ( 2003 ). `` Corylus, Carpinus, and Palaeocarpinus ( Betulaceae ) from the Middle Eocene Klondike Mountain and Allenby Formations of Northwestern North America ''. International Journal of Plant Sciences. 164 ( 5 ) : 807 -- 822. doi : 10.1086 / 376816. Jump up ^ Floriz : Mythology and Folklore of the Hazel Tree External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Corylus. Eichhorn, Markus ( December 2010 ). `` The Hazel Tree ''. Test Tube. Brady Haran for the University of Nottingham. Nuts True, or botanical nuts Acorn Beech American beech European beech Breadnut Candlenut Chestnut Sweet chestnut Hazelnut American hazel Beaked hazel European hazel Filbert Asian hazel Johnstone River almond Kola nut Kurrajong Malabar chestnut Mongongo Palm nut Karuka Planted karuka Wild karuka Red bopple nut Yellow walnut Drupes Almond Australian cashew nut Betel nut Borneo tallow nut Breadfruit Cashew Chilean hazel Coconut Durian Gabon nut Hickory Mockernut hickory Pecan Shagbark hickory Shellbark hickory Irvingia gabonensis Jack nut Panda oleosa Pekea nut Pili nut Pistachio Walnut Black walnut Butternut English walnut Heartnut Gymnosperms Cycad Burrawang nut Ginkgo nut Araucaria spp. Bunya nut Monkey - puzzle nut Pine nut Chilgoza pine Colorado pinyon Korean pine Mexican pinyon Single - leaf pinyon Stone pine Angiosperms Brazil nut Macadamia Macadamia nut Queensland macadamia nut Paradise nut Peanut Peanut tree Soybean Woodworking Overviews History Glossary Wood ( lumber ) Wood art Forms Boat building Bow and arrow Bush carpentry Cabinetry Caning Carpentry Chainsaw carving Chip carving Clogs Ébéniste Fretwork Intarsia Japanese carpentry Khatam Log building Marquetry Millwork Parquetry Pyrography Relief carving Root carving Sawdust Segmented turning Shingle weaving Shipbuilding Spindle turning Timber framing Whittling Wood carving Woodturning Wood flour Woods Soft Cedar ( Calocedrus, Cedrus ) Cypress Douglas fir Fir Juniper Larch Pine Spruce Yew Hard Ash Alder Aspen Balsa Beech Birch Cherry Chestnut Cocobolo Ebony Elm Hazel Lignum vitae Linden ( lime, basswood ) Mahogany Maple Oak Padauk Plum Poplar Teak Totara Walnut Willow Tools Abrasives Axe Adze Chisel Clamp Drawknife Drill Float Mallet Milling machine Mitre box Moulding plane Plane Rasp Router Sandpaper Spokeshave Timber - framing Vise Winding sticks Wood scribe Workbench Saws Backsaw Bandsaw Bow Bucksaw Chainsaw Circular Compass Coping Crosscut Frame Fretsaw Jigsaw Keyhole Miter Rip Scroll Table Veneer Whipsaw Geometry Joints Birdsmouth Bridle Butt Butterfly Coping Crown of thorns Dado Dovetail Finger Groove Halved Hammer - headed tenon Knee Lap Mason 's mitre Miter Mortise and tenon Rabbet / Rebate Scarf Splice Tongue and groove Profiles Bead Bevel Chamfer Molding Ogee Ogive Treatments French polish Heat bending Paint Paint stripper Steam bending Thermal Varnish Wood drying Wood preservation Wood stain Wood finishing Organizations American Association of Woodturners Architectural Woodwork Institute British Woodworking Federation Building and Wood Workers ' International Caricature Carvers of America International Federation of Building and Wood Workers National Wood Carvers Association Society of Wood Engravers Timber Framers Guild Conversion Chainsaw mill Hewing Sawmill Whipsaw Wood splitting Techniques Frame and panel Frameless construction WikiProject Commons Taxon identifiers Wd : Q145889 EoL : 29892 FNA : 108088 FOC : 108088 Fossilworks : 55296 GBIF : 2875967 GRIN : 2962 IPNI : 13489 - 1 ITIS : 19505 NCBI : 13450 PLANTS : CORYL Tropicos : 40014731 VASCAN : 1041 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hazel&oldid=793486346 '' Categories : Corylus Edible nuts and seeds Hidden categories : Articles with ' species ' microformats Talk Contents About Wikipedia Tools Wikispecies Aragonés Azərbaycanca تۆرکجه Беларуская Български Bosanski Brezhoneg Català Чӑвашла Cebuano Čeština Dansk Deutsch Dolnoserbski Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français Gaeilge Gàidhlig Galego 한국어 Հայերեն Hornjoserbsce Hrvatski Ирон Italiano עברית ქართული Kaszëbsczi Қазақша Лакку Latina Latviešu Lietuvių Magyar Македонски მარგალური Bahasa Melayu Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk Polski Português Runa Simi Русский Shqip Simple English Suomi Svenska Türkçe Українська Tiếng Việt Winaray 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 2 August 2017, at 01 : 44. 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Question: a deciduous shrub with edible brown nuts a species of hazel
Answer: Corylus americana