Corylus cornuta (Beaked Hazelnut) - photos and description
Female catkin with protruding reddish stigmas in above photo.
Female catkin with protruding reddish stigmas in above photo.
Male catkin in above photo.
Male catkins in above photo.
Male and female catkin in above photo.
Fruit in above photo.
Fruit in above photo.
General: Shrub which forms dense thickets in aspen woodlands. Catkins (a dense spike of apetalous, unisexual flowers) appear in spring before the leaves.
Flowers: Male and female catkins grow on the same plant. Female catkins have protruding red stigmas, we measured a female catkin at 7 mm long. Male catkins are light brown and hang under the branches. We measured male catkins up to 2 cm long.
Leaves: Ovate, serrate, mostly alternate, pubescent below and sparingly hairy above. Leaf highlighted in photo above was 10 cm long by 6 cm wide.
Fruit: Is a spherical nut (edible) inside of a long, tubular husk, the husk covered with stiff hairs. Nuts grow in clusters of 1 to 3.
Height: Height listed in Budd's Flora to 3 m, we measured plants to 2.84 m tall.
Habitat: Moist woods particularly in Saskatchewan's parkland.
Abundance: Common.
Origin: Native.
When and where photographed: Photos of catkins were taken May 2nd in Moose Mountain Provincial Park, about 200 km southeast of Regina, SK, photos of leaves and fruit were taken August 14th Fairy Hill about 30 km north of Regina, SK, and August 17th in Moose Mountain Provincial Park.