Corylus americana
American Hazelnut
General
American hazelnut is a medium sized shrub with edible nuts that provide food to wildlife, and can be eaten by humans. It has a mild, pleasant nutty flavor and good nutritional value. It is very shade tolerant and does well as an understory shrub.
Plant Description
American hazelnut can grow 3-9’ in height. It has large, bright green oval to ovate pointed alternate leaves with doubly toothed edges. They will have either long catkins or small, red flowers, and the hazelnuts grow wrapped in a small, frilly leaf-like structure.
Height (ft)
3-9
Spread (ft)
9
Soil moisture
Moist
Soil types
Medium to fine, well-drained
Wetland indicator
FACU-
Shade tolerance
Full Sun to Full Shade
Bloom color
Pink to Light Green
Bloom period
Summer
Fall conspicuous
No
Anaerobic tolerance
None
Drought tolerance
Medium
Salinity tolerance
None
Self-Pollinating?
Yes
Range
Eastern United States, extending west as far as North Dakota and southwest as far as Louisiana, and northern into Canada.
Kartesz, J.T. 2024. Floristic Synthesis of North America, Version 1.0. Biota of North America Program (BONAP) [website http://bonap.org/]
Additional Information
According to BRIT - Native American Ethnobotany Database, the hazelnuts have been used as food, roasted and eaten or in soups and cooking. The woody stems/twigs have been used as drumsticks. A compound decoction with this plant has been used to treat nausea and nuts eaten for prenatal strength.