Leaf
Martinus KE, Wikimedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Turkish hazel
Corylus colurna L.
Also known as: Turkish tree hazel
Family: Betulaceae
15 to 25 m tall
Planted as a street tree for its regular pyramidal habit
Flowering: February – March, before the leaves
Full sun
Part shade
Hardy to about -25°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Unlike its cousin the common hazel, which remains a bushy shrub, this one forms a true single trunk and a regular pyramidal habit, which makes it a popular street tree.
🍃 Leaves
Deciduous, heart-shaped, toothed, larger and rougher than those of the common hazel
🌸 Flowers
Long pendent yellowish male catkins, tiny reddish female flowers, appearing before the leaves
🍎 Fruits
Hazelnuts in clusters of four to eight, surrounded by a deeply cut, fringed involucre
🪵 Bark
Pale grey, cracking into characteristic corky scales with age
🗺️ Distribution
Native to south-eastern Europe and Asia Minor
🐝 Value for pollinators
Very early catkins, an important pollen source in late winter
✂️ Horticultural uses
Used as a street tree for its regular conical habit and good tolerance of pollution and drought, unlike the common hazel, which remains shrubby
🌿 Other Betulaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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