Friends of the Arboretum Native Plant Sale
COMMON NAME: American Hazelnut, Filbert
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Corylus Americana (Greek: “korpus” = helmet, for the involucre or bracts surrounding the fruit)
FLOWER: Monecious. The male (sterile) flowers are drooping catkins. The female (fertile) flowers are tiny, red and star-like produced from scaly buds and clustered at tips of branches.
BLOOMING PERIOD: March – April
SIZE: Large, thicket-forming deciduous shrub from 3 – 10 feet tall.
BEHAVIOR: Leaves appear after spring bloom. Forms clumps with the roots close to the surface.
SITE REQUIREMENTS: Tolerates open shade and dry, somewhat disturbed sites. Does best in some sunlight.
NATURAL RANGE: Maine to Saskatchewan, south to Georgia, Missouri and Oklahoma.
SPECIAL FEATURES: One of the first plants to bloom in spring. Twigs are hairy. Leaves are 2-5 inches, double-toothed, hairy, on alternate branches. It has a lovely fall color when planted in sunlight. The nuts are edible for humans but sought after by small animals. Expect a good seed crop every 2-3 years.
SUGGESTED CARE: Easily grown. Protect from rabbits with a fence.
COMPANION PLANTS: Grey dogwood, black cherry, white ash, shagbark hickory, red and black oak, wild geranium, agrimony, hog peanut, strawberry, Solomon’s plume.