Hazelnut Plant Identification Guide
The Hazelnut is a native shrub to North America. You should be able to, except for the US southwest and Gulf coast, find hazelnut plants growing. Once located, remember where they are since nuts are an important food source. Count yourself lucky if you can forage such a free food. Their leaves, twigs, and catkins (male flowers) are important for wildlife. They are browsed by rabbits, deer, and moose and are winter food for turkey and ruffed grouse to name just a few of the dependent animals. The dense shrub provides cover and nesting sites for many wildlife species.
This plant has separate male and female parts on the same branch. A single shrub will produce some nuts, but as a wind-pollinated species 3-5 shrubs are recommended for optimal nut production.
American hazelnut, American Filbert, American hazel, America hazelnut, beaked hazelnut, California hazelnut
The shrub is deciduous and grows from 3’ – 15’ tall. Once established, it grows by its spreading rhizomes forming thickets.
The main stems are straight with spreading branches. The coloration is light brown with red-hairs.
Leaves grow alternate and are broad oval with a heart-shaped or rounded base. They are approximately 3 inches – 6 inches long and 4 inches wide. The leaf edges are doubly serrate, hairy beneath, the petiole with stiff, glandular hairs. The leaves turn orange to red or purple in the fall.
Male and female flowers are separate, but both types grow on each plant. Male flowers, in small clusters – maybe 2 to 3 flowers per cluster, form as catkins that are 3 inches to 5 inches long in the fall. They will winter and open the next spring as yellow. Female flowers form and are tiny and inconspicuous with only bright red stigma and styles protruding from the gray-brown buds near the end of the twigs.
Clusters of 2 -6 of the acorn-like nuts about 1 inch long and a bit wider will grow after pollination. The nuts are enclosed in two toothed leafy husks
Plants can grow in sun or partial shade in moist, well-drained soil.
They (several species) are widespread in North America, Maine west to Saskatchewan and North Dakota, south to eastern Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Georgia, not found along the Gulf coast region or Southwest USA
When foraging, look in moist to dry woods and thickets, forest margins, roadsides, and fencerows and other disturbed areas. Also search streamside as long as the soil is not boggy.
Hazelnut shrubs flower from March thru May before the plant leaf’s out. The nuts (fruits) form and ripen in the July – October time period. Late summer thru fall is the time to harvest. Be careful if you wait to long you will lose out to wildlife. Visa versa – if you get there first, make sure you leave a good amount for wildlife.
The nuts of hazelnuts are sweet and may be eaten raw, dried and roasted or ground into flour (gluten free).
The nuts of American hazelnut, which have a higher nutritional value than acorns and beechnuts, also are eaten by squirrels, foxes, deer, northern bobwhite, ruffed grouse, turkey, woodpeckers, pheasants, and deer.
Plants of American hazelnut may begin producing seed after the first year and produce good seed crops every 2-3 years.
American hazelnut is not affected by any serious pests.
Hazel flowers are wind-pollinated, so no bees or butterflies are needed for pollination.
Mwongozo wa Utambulisho wa Mimea ya Hazelnut Hazelnut ni kichaka cha asili cha Amerika Kaskazini. Kwa mfano, katika maeneo ya kusini magharibi mwa Marekani na pwani ya Ghuba ya Amerika, mimea ya hazelnut inaweza kuonekana. Mara tu unapopata matunda hayo, kumbuka mahali alipo kwa kuwa matunda hayo ni chanzo muhimu cha chakula. Jihesabu kuwa na bahati ikiwa unaweza kupata chakula hicho cha bure. Majani yao, matawi yao, na maua yao ya kiume ni muhimu kwa wanyama-pori. Mnyama huyo huitwa mnyama wa majira ya baridi kali, mnyama wa majira ya baridi kali, mnyama wa majira ya baridi kali, mnyama wa majira ya baridi kali, na mnyama wa majira ya baridi kali. Mti huo wenye miti mingi hufanyiza makao na mahali pa kufanyia viota spishi nyingi za wanyama-pori. Mti huo una sehemu za kiume na za kike tofauti kwenye tawi moja. Mti mmoja wa kichaka hutokeza karanga, lakini kwa kuwa ni spishi inayopandwa na upepo, miti mitatu hadi mitano inapendekezwa kwa ajili ya uzalishaji bora wa karanga. American hazelnut, American filbert, American hazelnut, American hazelnut, beaked hazelnut, California hazelnut, ni mti wa majani na hukua kutoka 3 <unk> <unk> 15 <unk> urefu. Baada ya kuanzishwa, hukua kwa kuenea kwa mizizi yake na kufanyiza vichaka. Vipande vikuu ni vya moja kwa moja vyenye matawi yanayoenea. Rangi ni kahawia nyepesi na nywele nyekundu. Majani hukua kwa kubadilishana na ni ya umbo la mviringo na msingi wenye umbo la moyo au wenye umbo la mviringo. Ina urefu wa inchi 3 hadi inchi 6 na upana wa inchi 4. Pembe za majani ni mbili serrated, nywele chini, petiole na ngumu, glandular nywele. Majani yake huwa na rangi ya machungwa hadi nyekundu au zambarau wakati wa vuli. Maua ya kiume na ya kike ni tofauti, lakini aina zote mbili hukua kwenye kila mmea. Maua ya kiume, katika makundi madogo - labda maua mawili hadi matatu kwa kila kundi - hufanyiza kama catkins ambayo ni inchi 3 hadi inchi 5 kwa urefu katika vuli. Wao wataishi majira ya baridi kali na kufunguliwa majira ya kuchipua yanayofuata kama manjano. Maua ya kike hufanyizwa na ni madogo na yasiyoonekana na stigma nyekundu tu na mitindo inayojitokeza kutoka kwa buds ya kijivu-kahawia karibu na mwisho wa matawi. Makundi ya matunda ya aina ya acorn yenye urefu wa sentimita 1 na upana kidogo yatakua baada ya kupandikizwa. Matofaa hayo yana magamba mawili yenye meno.Miti hiyo inaweza kukua katika jua au katika kivuli kidogo katika udongo wenye unyevunyevu na wenye maji mengi. Mimea hii ni ya kawaida katika maeneo ya kaskazini ya Marekani, Maine, magharibi ya Saskatchewan na North Dakota, kusini ya mashariki ya Oklahoma, Arkansas, na Georgia, na haipatikani katika eneo la pwani ya Ghuba ya Amerika au Kusini Magharibi mwa Marekani. Pia tafuta kando ya kijito maadamu udongo haukuwa na matope. Mimea ya hazelnut huchanua maua kuanzia Machi hadi Mei kabla ya majani ya mmea kutoweka. Nuts (matunda) fomu na kukomaa katika Julai <unk> Oktoba kipindi cha muda. Kuanzia mwishoni mwa majira ya kiangazi hadi vuli ni wakati wa kuvuna. Jihadharini ikiwa utangoja kwa muda mrefu utapoteza kwa wanyama wa porini. Visa kinyume <unk> kama wewe kupata huko kwanza, kuhakikisha wewe kuondoka kiasi nzuri kwa ajili ya wanyama wa porini. Nuts ya hazelnuts ni tamu na inaweza kuliwa mbichi, kukaushwa na roasted au ground katika unga (gluten bure). Nuts ya hazelnut ya Marekani, ambayo ina thamani ya lishe ya juu kuliko acorns na beechnuts, pia ni kuliwa na squirrels, mbweha, deer, kaskazini bobwhite, ruffed grouse, Uturuki, woodpeckers, pheasants, na deer. Mimea ya hazelnut ya Marekani inaweza kuanza kuzalisha mbegu baada ya mwaka wa kwanza na kuzalisha mazao mazuri ya mbegu kila baada ya miaka 2-3 Mchele wa hazelnut wa Marekani hauathiriwa na wadudu hatari. Maua ya hazel hupandikizwa na upepo, kwa hiyo hakuna nyuki au vipepeo wanaohitajiwa ili kupandikiza.