Are you nuts about native shrubs? American Hazelnut is a resilient native shrub that will grow in a wide range of conditions, making it a perfect fit for any garden! In early spring, male flowers appear as showy, yellow catkins and female flowers appear as small, red catkins. Female flowers give way to small, edible nuts in late summer, which are encased in leafy, husk-like bracts. The genus name "Corylus" comes from the Greek word korylos, meaning a helmet, referring to the husk on the nut. American Hazelnut is monoecious, having both male and female flowers on the same plant and has gorgeous, highly variable fall color that ranges from red-orange to purple to yellow. Do nut miss out on this beautiful native!
Conditions: Full sun to part shade; medium soil
Size: 6'-15' tall, 8'-12' spread
Zone: 4 - 9
Wildlife Value: Nuts provide food for squirrels, foxes, northern bobwhites, woodpeckers, and pheasants; branching habit provides nesting sites for birds; larval host for Polyphemus Moth and Io Moth
Photos: Samantha Nestory