Hazel

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American hazelnut Corylus americana

Description

A small deciduous tree or large shrub (Corylus avellana, Corylus americana or Corylus maxima) native to the northern hemisphere. Hazel trees are grown ornamentally and for their nuts. The edible hazelnuts, also called filberts, from these deciduous plants produce an oil, (hazelnut oil) that is similar to Walnut oil.

Synonyms and Related Terms

hazel wood; filbert; cob nut; hazelnut oil; Corylus avellana (Common hazel); Corylus americana (American filbert, American hazel); Corylus maxima (European filbert); avellanos (Esp.); hassel (Dan.); Haselstrauch (Deut.); hazelaar (Ned.); hazelnoten (Ned.); leszczyn (Pol.); noisetier (Fr.); nocciolo (It.); aveleira (Port.)

Hazelnuts

Physical and Chemical Properties

• Large shrubs (to 12 m) or small trees (20-35m)
• Leaves = simple, round with double-serrated margins
• Flowers = pale yellow catkins 5-12 cm long (male trees)
• Nuts = 1-3 cm long and 1-2 cm in diameter, edible

Resources and Citations

• Encyclopedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com Comment: "filbert." Accessed: 30 Oct. 2004 .
• Virginia Tech Dendrology website at www.fw.vt.edu/dendro/dendrology/main.htm (accessed Oct. 3, 2005)
• Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazel (Accessed Oct. 3, 2005 and Oct. 2020)
• Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia, Douglas M. Considine (ed.), Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1976
• Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997