Corylus cornuta
| Corylus cornuta | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 4 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 10' |
| Blooms: | Mid Spring-Late Spring |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Corylus cornuta (common name: beaked hazel)
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is harvested in autumn in a cold frame[1]. Germinates in late winter or spring. Stored seed should be pre-soaked in warm water for 48 hours and then given 2 weeks warm followed by 3 - 4 months cold stratification[1]. Germinates in 1 - 6 months at 20°c[1]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a cold frame or sheltered place outdoors for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer[K].
Layering in autumn. Easy, it takes about 6 months[2][3].
Division of suckers in early spring. Very easy, they can be planted out straight into their permanent positions.
Cultivation: An easily grown plant, it succeeds in most soils, but is in general more productive of seeds when grown on soils of moderate fertility[4][3]. It does less well in rich heavy soils or poor ones[4][5]. Does well in a loamy soil[4]. Very suitable for an alkaline soil[4], but it dislikes very acid soils[6]. Tolerates a pH in the range 5.8 to 7.5. Plants are fairly wind tolerant[7][4].
Plants are hardy to about -30°c[8]. They thrive in a short growing season[8].
This species is occasionally cultivated for its edible seed in N. America[9] but is of no value in Britain as a seed bearer[4]. Plants can bear fruit in 5 - 6 years from seed[8].
Members of this genus bear transplanting well and can be easily moved even when relatively large[4].
Range: Eastern and Central N. America.
Habitat: Dry or moist woodland on hills or mountain slopes[10]. Rich thickets, clearings and woodland edges[11].
Edibility: Seed - raw or cooked[12][10][13]. Very popular in America, the seed is sweet and well-flavoured with a thin shell[12][14]. The seed can be dried and ground into a powder which is added to cereals and used in making bread, pies etc[14][15]. The seed ripens in mid to late autumn and will probably need to be protected from squirrels[K]. When kept in a cool place, and not shelled, the seed should store for at least 12 months[K].
An edible oil is obtained from the seed.
Medicinal: An infusion of the branches and leaves has been used in the treatment of heart complaints and intestinal disorders[16].
A decoction of the bark has been given to children to alleviate teething pain[16].
Usage: Young sucker shoots are used to make a rope[17]. The shoots are soaked in urine first, to make them more pliable[16].
A blue dye is obtained from the root or inner bark[17][13].
The branches are used in basketry[8].
Pollinators: Wind
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Wind: Tolerates strong winds
Seed Ripens: Early Fall-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Monoecious
Also Known As: C. rostrata.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Bird, Alfred. Growing from Seed Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan, 1990.
- ↑ Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ Howes, Frank. Nuts. Faber, 1948.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Natural Food Institute. Wonder Crops 1987.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Elias, Thomas. A Field Guide to North American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1982.
- ↑ Lyndon, Merritt. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co, 1950.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Turner, Nancy. Edible Wild Fruits and Nuts of Canada. National Museum of Natural Sciences, 1978.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Harrington, Harold. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press, 1967.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Turner, Nancy. Plants in British Columbian Indian Technology. British Columbia Provincial Museum, 1979.