Corylus americana, the American Hazelnut, is a species of the genus Corylus that is native to eastern North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

.

It is a medium to large shrub that under some conditions can take the form of a small tree. It is an often multi-stemmed shrub with long, outward growing branches that form a dense, spreading or spherical shape.

American Hazelnut grows as a strong multi-stemmed shrub, with edible nuts that mature in September-October. It is planted by wildlife enthusiasts to attract and keep game in an area.

American hazelnut prefers full sun for best growth and development. Though it can grow and persist in partial shade, plant density and fruit production are greatly reduced. It is a medium to fast growing species, that suckers moderately, eventually producing a multi-stemmed, clump appearance.

American Hazelnut grows to a height of 8-12 feet and with a crown spread of 10 to 15 feet. The species adapts well to a range of soil pH and types, but does best on well-drained loams.

Ecology

The nuts produced by American hazelnut are a mast

Mast (botany)

Mast is the "fruit of forest trees like acorns and other nuts". It is also defined as "the fruit of trees such as beech, and other forms of Cupuliferae". Alternatively, it can also refer to "a heap of nuts"....

 of squirrel

Squirrel

Squirrels belong to a large family of small or medium-sized rodents called the Sciuridae. The family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels, chipmunks, marmots , flying squirrels, and prairie dogs. Squirrels are indigenous to the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa and have been introduced to Australia...

s, deer

Deer

Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...

, turkey

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

, woodpeckers, pheasant

Pheasant

Pheasants refer to some members of the Phasianinae subfamily of Phasianidae in the order Galliformes.Pheasants are characterised by strong sexual dimorphism, males being highly ornate with bright colours and adornments such as wattles and long tails. Males are usually larger than females and have...

s and other animals. The male catkins are a food staple of ruffed grouse

Ruffed Grouse

The Ruffed Grouse is a medium-sized grouse occurring in forests from the Appalachian Mountains across Canada to Alaska. It is non-migratory.The Ruffed Grouse is frequently referred to as a "partridge"...

 throughout the winter.

Uses

The nuts are edible, although smaller than the more commonly cultivated filberts (Corylus maxima, Corylus colurna, Corylus avellana

Corylus avellana

Corylus avellana, the Common Hazel, is a species of hazel native to Europe and western Asia, from the British Isles south to Iberia, Greece, Turkey and Cyprus, north to central Scandinavia, and east to the central Ural Mountains, the Caucasus, and northwestern Iran. It is an important component of...

, and hybrids thereof). There are cultivated hybrids of C. americana with C. avellana which aim to combine the larger nuts of the latter with the former's resistance to a North American fungus Cryptosporella

Cryptosporella

Cryptosporella is a genus of fungi in the family Gnomoniaceae. The genus was first described by Pier Andrea Saccardo in 1877. The genus contains 19 species.-Species:* Cryptosporella alnicola* Cryptosporella alni-rubrae...

 anomala.

Native Americans used C. americana for medicinal purposes.