Hazel
Corylus avellana
Botanical family: Betulaceae
Corylus avellana, a native shrub of woods and ravines, of which large-fruited races are grown. Its hazelnuts, rich in oil, keep for at least a year in a cool place in their shells. Sources: Tela Botanica, “Corylus avellana L.” (Coste's flora); Plants For A Future, “Corylus avellana”.
Sun to partial shade
Deep, rich
Moderate: water in dry spells in spring and summer, especially young trees
Very hardy (~-25 °C)
Overwinters in your zone
Wind-pollinated (anemophilous)
Needs two varieties that pollinate each other (unless self-fertile)
Role in permaculture
Low tree layer of the forest garden, ideal at its edge. Wind pollination (yellow catkin flowering in the depths of winter!). Plant 2 compatible varieties for fruiting. It can also become a truffle tree, with mycorrhized plants from a specialist nursery.
Good companions
Fix nitrogen from the air (legumes)
Aromatic: scent said to confuse pests
Traditional companion planting (benefit not demonstrated)
Insects attracted or useful
Known pests & diseases
Pests and diseases that commonly affect this plant, tap to learn how to recognise and manage them.
Documented synergies
Relationships backed by a named source, with their real scope. A synergy without a named reference has no place here, no “it is said that…”.
The hazel is a leading truffle tree: its roots associate with Tuber (black truffle, summer truffle…) and with a whole retinue of fungi, exchanging its sugars for water, nitrogen, and phosphorus. The symbiosis and its effects are demonstrated in pots and greenhouses. Caveat: no field truffle yield is measured in this work, and truffle growing remains long and uncertain (several years, demanding conditions).
scientific study
- · Sillo et al. (2022), Tree Physiology 42(7):1463-1480, DOI 10.1093/treephys/tpac012
- · Li et al. (2019), Mycobiology, DOI 10.1080/12298093.2019.1615297
Its male catkins flower very early (January–March), before almost everything else. The hazel is wind-pollinated, but its protein-rich pollen offers a supplement to bee colonies picking up again, in a lean season. A modest resource, no nectar, laborious gathering: a late-winter relay, not a honey mainstay.
institutional source
- · Hicks (2022), Biological Flora of Britain and Ireland: Corylus avellana, Journal of Ecology 110(12), DOI 10.1111/1365-2745.14008
Seasons & availability
Hazelnuts: harvested from September to October, kept through the winter.
Available: January, February, September, October, November, December.
Guidance for the oceanic / temperate climate; it may vary with your region, altitude, exposure and growing method.
Sources
- RHS, « Cobnuts and filberts » (rhs.org.uk/nuts/cobnuts-filberts)
- Plants For A Future, « Corylus avellana » (pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Corylus+avellana)
Nutritional & medicinal properties
For educational purposes. Not a substitute for medical advice. Effects depend on the form, the dose and personal context.
Precautions & contraindications
A frequent allergen.
In the kitchen & the apothecary
Where to find hazel in preparations: recipes and traditional herbal teas.
Recipes
Species & varieties
The best-known species and varieties in France.
Species
Common varieties
Before you forage
This plant is often gathered from the wild. Only pick what is abundant, never a protected species, and never uproot a whole plant (roots) without the landowner's permission. Rules vary by country and region, check locally.
Key takeaways
- • Prefers sun to partial shade exposure.
- • Ideal soil: deep, rich.
- • Classic companion: Comfrey.