View source for Corylus cornuta

{{Short description|Species of tree}}
{{speciesbox
|image = Corylus cornuta.jpg
|image_caption = Beaked hazel foliage
|status = LC
|status_system = IUCN3.1
|status_ref = <ref name="IUCN">{{cite iucn | author1 = Stritch, L. | author2 = Roy, S. | author3 = Shaw, K. | author4 = Wilson, B. | name-list-style = amp | title = ''Corylus cornuta'' | page = e.T194448A174149241 | year = 2020 | access-date = 15 April 2022}}</ref>
|status2 = {{TNCStatus}}
|status2_system = TNC
|genus = Corylus
|species = cornuta
|authority = [[Humphry Marshall|Marshall]]
|range_map = Corylus cornuta range map 2.png
|range_map_caption = Natural range of ''Corylus cornuta''
|synonyms_ref=<ref name="108018-1" >{{Cite web |last=<!--Not stated--> |title=''Corylus cornuta'' Marshall |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:108018-1 |access-date=8 April 2021 |website=Plants of the World Online |publisher=Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew}}</ref>
|synonyms={{Collapsible list|
* ''Corylus californica'' <small>(A.DC.) A.Heller</small>
* ''Corylus cornuta'' <small>Du Roi ex Steud.</small>
* ''Corylus cornuta'' var. ''californica'' <small>(A.DC.) Sharp.</small>
* ''Corylus cornuta'' f. ''glandulosa'' <small>(B.Boivin) T.C.Brayshaw</small>
* ''Corylus cornuta'' var. ''glandulosa'' <small>B.Boivin</small>
* ''Corylus cornuta'' f. ''inermis'' <small>Fernald</small>
* ''Corylus cornuta'' var. ''megaphylla'' <small>Vict. & J.Rousseau</small>
* ''Corylus mexicana'' <small>K.Koch</small>
* ''Corylus rostrata'' <small>Aiton</small>
* ''Corylus rostrata'' var. ''californica'' <small>A.DC.</small>
* ''Corylus rostrata'' var. ''tracyi'' <small>Jeps.</small>
}}}}
{{nutritionalvalue
| name=Beaked hazel (Corylus cornuta), raw
| water=5.92 g
| kJ=2629
| protein=14.89 g
| fat=52.99 g
| ash=3.22 g
| carbs=22.98 g
| fiber=9.8 g
| calcium_mg=441
| copper_mg = 1.200
| iron_mg=3.12
| magnesium_mg=235
| phosphorus_mg=411
| potassium_mg=738
| sodium_mg=2
| manganese_mg=7.600
| zinc_mg=2.06
| thiamin_mg=0.480
| riboflavin_mg=0.160
| niacin_mg=3.190
| vitB6_mg=0.550
| right=1
| source_usda=1
| note=[https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/169827/nutrients Link to USDA Database entry]
}}

'''''Corylus cornuta''''', the '''beaked hazelnut''' (or just ''beaked hazel''), is a [[deciduous]] shrubby [[hazel]] with two subspecies found throughout most of North America.

== Description ==
The beaked hazelnut can reach {{convert|4|-|8|m|ft|abbr=off}} tall with stems {{convert|10|-|25|cm|in|frac=4|abbr=off}} thick with smooth gray bark,<ref name="ACRRE">{{Cite web |title=Corylus cornuta |url=https://acrre.ualberta.ca/Portals/14/ACRREDocuments/Corylus_cornuta.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160823012120/http://acrre.ualberta.ca/Portals/14/ACRREDocuments/Corylus_cornuta.pdf |archive-date=23 August 2016 |access-date=22 November 2017 |website=Alberta Centre for Reclamation and Restoration Ecology |publisher=University of Alberta}}</ref> but it can also remain relatively small in the shade of other plants. It typically grows with several trunks.

The [[leaves]] are arranged in an [[Phyllotaxis|alternate pattern]]. They are a rounded oval shape with a pointed tip and irregularly double-toothed margins.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Farrar |first=John Laird |title=Trees in Canada |date=1997 |publisher=Fitzhenry & Whiteside [u.a.] |isbn=978-1-55041-199-7 |edition=3rd impr |location=Markham, Ontario}}</ref> The leaves are {{cvt|5|-|11|cm|in|frac=4}} long and {{cvt|3|-|8|cm|in|frac=4}} broad, with soft and hairy undersides.{{cn|date=September 2024}}

The male flowers are firm [[catkin]]s which form in clusters of 1-3 units on the previous year's twigs. They become elongated and pendulous in spring. Single female [[Flower|flowers]] develop in early spring. <ref name=":0" />

The beaked hazelnut is named for its fruit, which is a [[nut (fruit)|nut]] enclosed in a husk with a tubular extension {{cvt|2|-|4|cm|in|frac=4}} long that resembles a beak. Tiny filaments protrude from the husk and may stick into, and irritate, skin that contacts them. The spherical nuts are small and surrounded by a hard shell. The beaked hazel is the [[Hardiness (plants)|hardiest]] of all hazel species, surviving temperatures of {{cvt|-50|C|F}} at its northern limits.<ref name="ACRRE" />

It has a shallow and dense root system which is typically only {{Convert|15|cm|in|abbr=on|frac=4}} deep, with a single taproot which may extend {{Convert|0.6|m|ft|abbr=on|frac=4}} below the surface.<ref name="feis" />

=== Varieties ===
There are two varieties, divided by geography:<ref name="feis">{{FEIS |genus=Corylus |species=cornuta |type=shrub |last=Fryer |first=Janet L. |date=2007}}</ref>
* ''Corylus cornuta'' var. ''cornuta''&nbsp;– '''Eastern beaked hazel'''. Small shrub, {{cvt|4|to|6|m|0}} tall;<ref name="feis" /> 'beak' longer, {{cvt|3|cm|frac=4}} or more. Occurs from {{Convert|100-500|m|ft|abbr=on}} throughout its range, and up to {{Convert|1000|m|ft|abbr=on}} in [[Alberta]].<ref name="feis" />
* ''Corylus cornuta'' var. ''californica''&nbsp;– '''Western beaked hazel''' or '''California hazelnut'''. Large shrub, {{cvt|4|to|15|m|0}} tall;<ref name="feis" /> 'beak' shorter, usually less than {{cvt|3|cm|frac=4}}. Occurs below {{Convert|2100|m|ft|abbr=on}} in [[California]], and below {{Convert|800|m|ft|abbr=on}} in [[British Columbia]]. The [[Maidu#Local divisions|Concow tribe]] called this variety {{lang|mjd|gōm'-he'-ni}} ([[Konkow language]]).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Chesnut |first=Victor King |author-link=Victor King Chesnut |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vLkUAAAAYAAJ |title=Plants used by the Indians of Mendocino County, California |publisher=[[United States Government Printing Office|Government Printing Office]] |year=1902 |page=405 |access-date=24 August 2012}}</ref> The California hazelnut is believed to be resistant to [[Anisogramma anomala|Eastern filbert blight]].<ref>Young-Mathews, Anna. September 2011. Plant fact sheet for California hazelnut (Corylus cornuta var. californica). USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Corvallis Plant Materials Center, Corvallis, OR. https://plants.usda.gov/DocumentLibrary/factsheet/pdf/fs_cococ.pdf</ref>

== Distribution and habitat ==
Eastern beaked hazel is found from southern [[Canada]] south to [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], while the Western beaked hazel occurs along the west coast from [[Alaska]] to [[California]].{{cn|date=September 2024}}

== Ecology ==
Although ''C. cornuta'' is somewhat [[shade tolerant]], it is more common in forests with fairly open canopies than denser ones.<ref name="feis" /> However, it is intolerant of entirely open areas that get hot and dry.<ref name="ACRRE" />

Fire kills the above-ground portion of the shrub, but it resprouts fairly readily after fire from its [[root crown]] or rhizomes. It recovers after fire to the extent that [[Native Americans in the United States|American Indians]] in California and [[Oregon]] used fire to encourage its growth.<ref name="feis" />

In boreal regions, it is threatened by the invasive [[Caragana arborescens|Siberian peashrub]], which can invade and achieve dominance in understories.<ref name="feis" />

=== Use by animals ===
Deer, moose, and livestock browse the foliage of the Eastern beaked hazel, but the Western beaked hazel is considered to have low palatability for [[ungulate]]s.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Whitney |first=Stephen |url=https://archive.org/details/westernforests00whit/page/428 |title=Western Forests (The Audubon Society Nature Guides) |date=1985 |publisher=Knopf |isbn=0-394-73127-1 |location=New York |page=[https://archive.org/details/westernforests00whit/page/428 428]}}</ref> The [[Curculio obtusus|hazelnut weevil]] feeds solely off the Western beaked hazel.<ref name="feis" />

[[North American beaver|American beavers]] prefer Eastern beaked hazel browse, and consume it to such an extent that they reduce its relative abundance in favor of conifers.<ref name="feis" />

The nuts of ''C. cornuta californica'' are an important food source for squirrels, especially as a backup in times of [[acorn]] crop failure. Species such as [[Douglas squirrel]]s, [[American red squirrel|red squirrel]]s and [[least chipmunk]]s gather and stash the nuts, and although up to 66% of the nuts are consumed, the remainder have an elevated chance of germination due to being buried in soil or leaves. Although squirrels only distribute the nuts about {{Convert|90|m|feet|abbr=on}} or less, [[jay]]s such as the [[blue jay]] in the east and the [[Steller's jay]] in the west distribute them over longer distances. [[American black bear|Black bears]], [[Turkey (bird)|turkeys]], and [[white-tailed deer]] also consume the nuts.<ref name="feis" />

[[Ruffed grouse]] consume the protein-rich catkins and young buds of ''Corylus cornuta.''<ref name="feis" />

It is used as cover by a variety of animal species, and provides good nesting for birds, especially the ruffed grouse. The [[white-footed vole]] is positively correlated with California hazelnuts in the [[Umpqua National Forest]] in Oregon. <ref name="feis" />

== Uses ==
The beaked hazelnut has been cultivated by the [[Gitxsan]], [[Tsimshian]], and [[Nisga'a]] peoples for at least 7,000 years.<ref>Armstrong et al., 2024. Genetic differentiation and precolonial Indigenous cultivation of hazelnut (Corylus cornuta, Betulaceae) in Western North America. ''PNAS'' 121 (48). https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.2402304121</ref>

Native Americans used the sprouts to create baskets, fish traps, and baby carriers. The nuts were eaten and commonly used as a trade good among indigenous groups{{Mdash}}both the [[Lewis and Clark Expedition|Lewis and Clark expedition]] and prolific early naturalist [[David Douglas (botanist)|David Douglas]] bartered for beaked hazelnuts with local peoples they encountered. It was used medicinally as [[emetic]], for deworming, as an astringent, and for teething.<ref name="feis" />

It is considered an excellent nut, with the same uses as any hazelnut.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Nyerges |first=Christopher |title=Foraging Washington: Finding, Identifying, and Preparing Edible Wild Foods |publisher=Falcon Guides |year=2017 |isbn=978-1-4930-2534-3 |location=Guilford, CT |oclc=965922681}}</ref> While the beaked hazelnut does not produce as many nuts as commercial European species such as the [[common hazel]] or [[Corylus maxima|filbert]], it is more resistant to common diseases, and has been used in breeding programs to create high-yield, disease resistant hybrids.<ref name="feis" />

It is used in [[Restoration ecology|restoration]] plantings to increase biodiversity, improve food sources for wildlife, and to reduce rates of [[laminated root rot]] in nearby [[Douglas-fir]] and [[Sitka spruce]].<ref name="feis" />

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:Corylus cornuta catkin Meadowbrook.JPG|Male catkins
File:Corylus cornuta female flower.jpg|Female flowers
File:Corylus cornuta, wings.jpg|Leaves (and three fruits forming)
File:Corylus cornuta fruit (5097503079).jpg|Immature fruit showing the "beak"
File:Corylus cornuta, nut.jpg|An immature nut with its hard shell
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Commonscat-inline|Corylus cornuta}}
* {{Calflora|Corylus cornuta ssp. californica |link=1}}
* {{Jepson eFlora|80489|Corylus cornuta subsp. californica |first=John O. |last=Sawyer Jr. |date=2012}}
* {{CalPhotos|Corylus|cornuta}}

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{{Nuts}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q972950}}

[[Category:Corylus|cornuta]]
[[Category:Flora of Northern America]]
[[Category:Plants described in 1785]]
[[Category:Edible nuts and seeds]]
[[Category:Garden plants of North America]]
[[Category:Ornamental trees]]