Botanical name:                  Corylus avellana

Family:                                   Corylaceae

Common Name:                   Hazel

Habitat and Distribution:

Natural distribution throughout all of the British Isles and Europe, West Asia and North Africa. Often found as under storey in oak woodlands and in hedgerows, does well on poor, dry chalk and limestone soils.

Description:

A large deciduous shrub or small multi-stemmed tree, frequently coppiced and used for hedges.

Height to 6metres, but more typically 4-5 metres tall (12-15 ft) as a mature plant

It has hairy almost heart shaped, dark green leaves with doubly serrate margins which are 5-10 cm (2-4 in) long and 3.7-7.5 cm (1.5-3 in) wide. In autumn the foliage turns reddish.

Tiny male flowers in pendulous catkins (5-8 cm) are very distinctive in February when nothing else in flower or leaf. The female flowers are tiny but are rich crimson red in colour.

The edible nuts are about 2 cm long and set in an ring of distinctive bracts.

The bark is pale brown or grey brown and not a significant ornamental feature. It is smooth on older stems.

Max age 70-80 years

Location within the arboretum:

Three specimens can be found in the old entrance gate area, about half way along, quite close to the fence on the northern boundary.

Furniture Makers Trees at The Arboretum - Kew at Castle Howard

Timber:

The white to pale pink or red-brown timber is tough and flexible.

Hazel has been extensively coppiced to provide long sticks for a variety of uses.

Uses:

The timber has been occasionally used in country chairs or woven as wickerwork

Used in past for cask hoops, basketry, walking sticks, hurdles, thatching, spars and divining rods.

Good firewood.

Nutritious and tasty nuts are taken by large birds, squirrels and mice that store the nuts.

Nuts are grown as a commercial crop from pruned bushes grown in open conditions like a fruit orchard.

 

 

October 2005 - leaves just beginning to turn

Leaves in October—some still a strong green, others turning gold

Late January 2006 - smothered in catkins

Catkins - late October

Male catkins - end of January

February

Female flowers

Hazel nuts

Grain

Basket made from split hazel

Hazel hurdle

A selection of hazel walking sticks

Hazel garden chair