Corylus americana
Corylus avellana
American hazel or hazelnut, American hazelnut, noisetier d'amérique
avelline, common filbert, European hazel, European hazel or hazelnut, European hazelnut, filbert, hazelnut
ascending;
twigs pubescent, covered with bristly glandular hairs.
ascending;
twigs pubescent, covered with bristly glandular hairs.
blade broadly ovate, often with straight sides and slight lobes near apex, giving them squarish appearance, 5–16 × 4–12 cm, moderately thin, base narrowly cordate to narrowly rounded, margins sharply serrate or obscurely doubly serrate, apex abruptly to long-acuminate;
surfaces abaxially sparsely to moderately pubescent, velutinous to tomentose along major veins and in vein axils.
blade broadly ovate to broadly elliptic, often nearly angled to lobulate near apex, 5–12 × 4–12 cm, moderately thin, base narrowly cordate to narrowly rounded, margins coarsely and doubly serrate, apex abruptly acuminate, abaxially sparsely to moderately pubescent, velutinous to tomentose along major veins and in vein axils.
staminate catkins lateral along branchlets on very short shoots, usually in clusters of 1–2, 4–8 × 0.5–0.8 cm;
peduncles mostly 1–5 mm.
staminate catkins lateral along branchlets on relatively long short shoots, usually in clusters of 2–4, 3–8 × 0.7–1 cm;
peduncles mostly 5–12 mm.
buds containing inflorescences broadly ovoid, 3–4 × 3–4 mm, apex obtuse to rounded.
buds containing inflorescences ovoid, 5–6 × 3–4 mm, apex obtuse.
in clusters of 2–5, sometimes partially visible;
bracts much enlarged, leaflike, distinct nearly to base, slightly longer than to 2 times length of nuts, apex deeply and irregularly laciniate;
bract surfaces downy-pubescent, abaxially stipitate-glandular.
in clusters of 2–4;
bracts much enlarged, distinct nearly to base, expanded, shorter than to only slightly longer than nuts, apex deeply lobed;
bract surfaces pubescent.
= 22, 28.
= 22, 28.
Corylus americana
Corylus avellana
Corylus americana is a weedy species, sometimes considered a pest in carefully managed forests. The nuts are smaller but of the same general quality and flavor as commercial filberts (Corylus maxima Miller and C. colurna Linnaeus).
Native Americans used Corylus americana medicinally for hives, biliousness, diarrhea, cramps, hay fever, childbirth, hemorrhages, prenatal strength, and teething, to induce vomiting, and to heal cuts (D. E. Moerman 1986).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Corylus avellana is widely grown as an ornamental shrub in temperate North America, and it sometimes persists following cultivation, although it seldom becomes established.
Corylus avellana is similar to C. americana in habit, leaves, and fruit characteristics, although it becomes much larger. If fruits are present, the two species can be distinguished by the involucre, which is shorter than the nut in C. avellana. The best technical character for separating these species in the absence of fruits is the length of the peduncles of the staminate catkins (which are formed during the summer prior to the season of blooming).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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