Corylus americana – American Hazelnut

Those filberts from Turkey (and Oregon) so readily available in the Fall and Winter months – they have a North American congener in the hazelnut. And, being a shrub, hazelnuts have an advantage for the backyard food grower – while pecans, walnuts, hickories, and chestnuts are produced by trees that take many, many years to bear, hazelnuts begin producing in only a few years. Hazelnuts are smaller than filberts, usually around 1/2” diameter compared with a 3/4” size for filberts. While the plant will grow in full shade you won’t get much nut production; a little light shade though won’t diminish productivity. Plant at least two shrubs to ensure cross-pollination.