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Corylus colurna - L.

Turkish Hazel

Author	L.	Botanical references	11, 74, 200
Family	Betulaceae	Genus	Corylus
Synonyms
Known Hazards	None known
Range	S.E. Europe to W. Asia.
Habitat	Shady mixed forests, 1000 - 1800 metres in E. Asia[74]. Found at altitudes up to 3000 metres in the Himalayas where it is found mainly on northerly aspects and in shady places[146, 158].
Edibility Rating	3 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	1 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

A decidious Tree growing to 20m by 7m.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soil. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil and can tolerate drought. The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure.

Habitats

Woodland Garden; Canopy; Secondary; Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Seed.

Edible Uses: Oil.

Seed - raw or cooked[2, 22, 46, 105]. Rich in oil. As nice a flavour as C. avellana, the common hazel nut[146, 158]. The seed ripens in mid to late autumn and will probably need to be protected from squirrels[K]. When kept in a cool place, and not shelled, the seed should store for at least 12 months[K]. An edible oil is obtained from the seed.

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

Tonic.

The seeds are tonic[240].

Other Uses

Wood.

Wood - firm, durable, moderately hard. Used for furniture, turnery etc[74, 158].

Cultivation details

An easily grown plant, it succeeds in most soils, but is in general more productive of seeds when grown on soils of moderate fertility[11, 200]. It does less well in rich heavy soils or poor ones[11, 63]. Does well in a loamy soil[11]. Very suitable for an alkaline soil[11], but it dislikes very acid soils[17]. Tolerates a pH in the range 5.3 to 7.3. Once established, this is a very drought resistant tree[183]. It does not produce suckers[183]. Plants are fairly wind tolerant[1, 11]. A very ornamental tree[1]. Members of this genus bear transplanting well and can be easily moved even when relatively large[11]. The Turkish hazel is occasionally cultivated for its edible seed[46, 61, 158]. This species is also useful in hybridizing with C. avellana in order to develop superior fruiting cultivars[183].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is harvested in autumn in a cold frame[164]. Germinates in late winter or spring. Stored seed should be pre-soaked in warm water for 48 hours and then given 2 weeks warm followed by 3 - 4 months cold stratification[164]. Germinates in 1 - 6 months at 20°c[164]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a cold frame or sheltered place outdoors for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer[K]. Layering in autumn. Easy, it takes about 6 months[78, 200].

Links

This plant is also mentioned in the following PFAF articles: Vegtable Oils.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[22] Sholto-Douglas. J. Alternative Foods. 0
Not very comprehensive, it seems more or less like a copy of earlier writings with little added.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[63] Howes. F. N. Nuts. Faber 1948
Rather old but still a masterpiece. Has sections on tropical and temperate plants with edible nuts plus a section on nut plants in Britain. Very readable.

[74] Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1968
An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers.

[78] Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[146] Gamble. J. S. A Manual of Indian Timbers. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh 1972
Written last century, but still a classic, giving a lot of information on the uses and habitats of Indian trees. Not for the casual reader.

[158] Gupta. B. L. Forest Flora of Chakrata, Dehra Dun and Saharanpur. Forest Research Institute Press 1945
A good flora for the middle Himalayan forests, sparsly illustrated. Not really for the casual reader.

[164] Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan. 1990
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Yuccas, one on Sagebrush (Artemesia spp) and another on Chaerophyllum bulbosum.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

Corylus colurna

Mr Nixon Tue May 30 2006

very helpfull thankyou, i needed some of this information for my course work. in my opinion it is clear and easy to read, but the only thing bad i will say is that you should put significant pests and diseases of this tree on there and you should have the basic maintenance of the tree when it is young, and a few pictures wouldnt go amiss either.

Corylus colurna

Dr K.K. Srivastava, Assistant Professor, SKUAST -k, Shalimar, Srinagar, J& K Wed Nov 15 2006

In kashmir condition Corylus colurna is found in ample amount, i have tried its propagation by sucker cutting in IBA treatment and incourgaging success have been attained. Further its sucker grown on the root hence it is difficult to raise from since it has no fibrous root. A part of previous wood helps for rooting .

Corylus colurna

ndiaye Fri Aug 29 2008

i need seeds of this tree if possible can be plant in western african country or more trees are have shade please email me to let me know how to reach you or how to get those seeds thank you

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