Taxonomy

Corylus avellana | Hazel | Coll

Distribution

Status

Conservation status

Not protected

Native status

Native

Species Biology

Identification

Flowers: February–April; catkins

Fruits: Hazelnut

Twigs & bark: Twigs hairy; bark pale brown, smooth

Habitat

Woods, scrub, hedgerows, especially on limestone 

Life cycle

Perennial

Ex-situ conservation

Not known

Use

Thatching

Vegetative nature

Woody

Distribution

World distribution(GBIF)

Irish distribution

Widespread and common, also widely planted

Temporal change

Records submitted to Data Centre in 2024

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Further information

Used for food, thatching & charcoal. Hazel rods were woven into panels for wattle and daub walls as early as 6000BC. The legendary Salmon of Knowledge ate 9 hazelnuts of poetic wisdom, each nut is said to have become a spot on the salmon's skin.

An understory tree in woods, but also dominant in hazel scrub such as in the Burren. Often coppiced for basket weaving due to the flexibility of the branches

Images