A small tree or multi-stemmed shrub native to Maryland and much of the rest of eastern North America. It is related to another Maryland native, the Beaked Hazelnut, which grows mainly in the mountains. (The commercial filbert nuts are produced by several non-native Corylus species.) American Hazelnut grows in or forms thickets, often in moist soil (Brown and Brown, 1972).
In the spring, the male catkins, which have overwintered, elongate and become more obvious; the female flower bud opens to reveal small, red, inconspicuous flowers. The nuts are in clusters of two to five. Each nut is about ½ inch long and is surrounded by two broad, leaf-like, ragged-edged bracts which open down to the round, bony-shelled nut. The bracts much exceed the nut in size but do not extend into an elongated beak, as in Beaked Hazelnut. The nuts are initially green, ripening to brown in late summer. If not eaten by wildlife, they may persist on the plant into the next growing season.
Often occurs along streams. Not common on the Coastal Plain.
The fruits are not obvious because they are hidden beneath the leaves, but that does not stop squirrels and other wildlife, which are very fond of the nuts.
Host plant to various moth species including the Buck Moth (Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants).
Host for the leaf beetle Calligrapha rhoda.
There are 83 records in the project database.
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