Botany Photo of the Day

Daniel,
Have a nice holiday!
Your site brings joy everyday,
thank you
n.

Corylus avellana 'Contorta' - Z4 - RHS Index of Garden Plants, Griffiths

Contorted Filbert, as we call it here in Ohio, is my favorite accent plant, usually gettng to 6/7 feet tall, but i was amazed one day to find myself standing under the canopy of a 30 footer. Interesting form in summer and outstanding winter interest.

Hi Mike - Daniel is correct in calling it Hazel, it is a cultivar of Common Hazel (Corylus avellana), not of Filbert (Corylus maxima; a different species)

I have heard it called contorted filbert around here since I was a kid. Nevertheless, I prefer corkscrew hazel myself. Jacobson (1996) gives corkscrew hazel, crazy hazel, curly hazel and Harry Lauder's walking-stick.

Great notion, to focus on the flowers rather than the branches. A wonderful plant, all, I believe, derived by grafting from a single find in a Gloucestershire hedgerow. http://www.dur.ac.uk/botanic.garden/sciencetrail/ has a brief version of the story.

Hi,
I just bought a contorted hazelnut in a nursery and I am looking forward to planting it. I live in California, and my soil is clay. It will get morning and noon sun.
What do I need to be aware of in caring for it.
I really love it. It is now 1-2/12 feet high.
Christa

Hi Christa,

I've posted your question to the garden's discussion forums in the Woody Plants area. I'm not a horticulturist, but there are plenty of great people on the forums who are.

Hi,
I have a curly hazel and it is doing quite well, it is about 4 years old and I have started getting nuts from it, are they edible ?.
Ron.

our 15 year old corkscrew hazel has suddenly stopped producing leaves in all but one branch. how sad as it is a beautiful 8 foot specimen and our many birds friends love to rest in it.... great for my camera hobby. However the tree really looks dead and the branches are brittle. Also the first signs of fungus are on the branches
We live in a severe snow belt however it never seemed bothered by the winters before.
Any ideas how to bring it back to life?
Carol Aitch

Carol, that's a better question for the forums (see link right above the the words "Post a Comment")

I have one of these in my back yard (Merseyside UK)and this year we have nuts on it. I presume we can eat them when they are ripe? x

Yes, they are edible.

I have Black Walnut Trees on my will the Corkscrew Hazel survive under or around it
Thanks I LIVE IN KITCHENER ONTARIO CANADA

I brought a Corylus Avellano from the UK to southern Italy in February. It is growing in a large terracotta pot on a part sunny/part shady balcony.
1) The leaves are turning brown and curling at the edges what is the problem
2) I water it every 3 days, BUT should I leave water underneath to be sucked up, or do I water it from the top? PLEASE HELP, I dont want to loose this lovely plant!

Got one of these from QVC and they call it the "Harry Lauder Walking Stick Tree". Was wondering about it's growth pattern. I got a bare root one, planted it 3 months ago and it looks the same as when I planted it -- little tiny buds, no height growth. How do I know if it is supposed to be this way or if it is DEAD? I am in Southern California with brown thumb.

I planted a hazelnut about ten years ago. I blooms but bears no nuts. Why? Also at that same time I planted a walnut tree, hickory nut, and a persimmon. All are big beautiful trees but none bear fruit. Any ideas????

(I haven't researched the particular trees you mentioned, so this is general advice)

You need a pollinator and possibly a matching tree of the opposite gender.

If you only have a male tree or only have a female tree, you will not get fruit set, even with a pollinator.

If the trees have both sexes, you might be missing a pollinator. Try renting a beehive for a week or two when the tree is feeling sexy in the spring.