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Corylus colurna

Corylus colurna

Turkish hazel

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Description

Corylus colurna (Turkish hazel) is a large deciduous tree with a broad, egg-shaped crown, like a Tilia. It reaches a height of twenty to twenty-five metres, ten to twelve metres wide. The Turkish hazel occurs mainly as a standard tree but may also develop into a characteristic multi-stem. Older trees get a more open and broader leaf canopy, creating a far more whimsical egg-shaped crown. The tree is found in Eastern Europe, the Balkans, Asia Minor and Central Asia. It occurs mostly in poor, dry, rocky forests, along with, amongst others, Carpinus orientalis, Ostrya carpinifolia and Tilia tomentosa. Corylus colurna was described by Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1753.

The green and waxy leaves of Corylus colurna are oval with jagged edges and the pale underside is covered with soft/fine hairs. The leaves can change to a glorious butter yellow in autumn and ultimately form a yellow carpet under the tree. The yellow male catkins open in the late winter, a welcome cheery sight after the dark winter months. The female flowers are small and insignificant and develop 4-6 nuts in a husk with long scales. The decoratively scaly, light brown bark of the Turkish hazel is corky with shallow cracks. The leaf canopy is dense and provides both habitat and food for birds and squirrels in the autumn and pollen and nectar for insects in the spring.

The Turkish hazel is a valuable tree, suitable for hot and dry conditions, in larger gardens and parks. Corylus colurna is also used as a street tree but this must be sufficiently broad to accommodate the ultimate size of the crown. The Turkish hazel even enjoys summer heat and tolerates very extreme conditions. The tree responds very well to heavy pruning but the subsequent wood it produces is brittle. The wood itself is relatively soft but the tree can get very old. Corylus colurna requires a well-drained, preferably chalky soil and will not tolerate any flooding.

Types of planting

Tree types

standard trees feathered trees multi-stemmed trees shade trees fruit trees woodland planting stock

Use

Location

street avenue square park central reservation large garden cemetery traffic areas, industrial zones countryside

Pavement

none none open open sealed sealed

Planting concepts

landscape planting prairie planting

Characteristics

Crown shape

wide egg-shaped wide egg-shaped

Crown structure

semi-open semi-open

Height

20 - 25 m

Width

10 - 12 m

Winter hardiness zone

5B - 9A

Aspects

Wind

tolerant to wind

Soil

loess sabulous clay light clay sand loamy soil

Nutrient level

low in nutrients moderately rich in nutrients rich in nutrients

Soil moisture level

very dry dry moist

Light requirements

sun

pH range

neutral alkaline

Host plant/forage plant

bees birds small mammals humans

Extreme environments

tolerant to dryness tolerates air pollution

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Order this plant? Or would you like further information about Corylus colurna? Make an appointment for a detailed planting recommendation.
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Photos

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high-stem standard tree
Corylus colurna standard tree
high-stem standard tree
Corylus colurna standard tree
high-stem standard tree
Corylus colurna standard tree
high-stem standard tree
Corylus colurna standard tree
high-stem standard tree
Corylus colurna standard tree
high-stem standard tree
Corylus colurna standard tree
high-stem standard tree
Corylus colurna standard tree
high-stem standard tree
Corylus colurna standard tree
high-stem standard tree
Corylus colurna standard tree
high-stem standard tree
Corylus colurna standard tree
multi-stem multi-stem
Corylus colurna multi-stem
multi-stem multi-stem
Corylus colurna multi-stem
multi-stem-umbrella multi-stem umbrella
Corylus colurna multi-stem umbrella
multi-stem-umbrella multi-stem umbrella
Corylus colurna multi-stem umbrella
flowers flowers
Corylus colurna flowers
flowers flowers
Corylus colurna flowers
leaves leaves
Corylus colurna leaves
leaves leaves
Corylus colurna leaves
leaves leaves
Corylus colurna leaves
leaves leaves
Corylus colurna leaves
fruits fruits
Corylus colurna fruits
fruits fruits
Corylus colurna fruits
fruits fruits
Corylus colurna fruits
fruits fruits
Corylus colurna fruits
fruits fruits
Corylus colurna fruits
fruits fruits
Corylus colurna fruits
bark bark
Corylus colurna bark
bark bark
Corylus colurna bark
bark bark
Corylus colurna bark
bark bark
Corylus colurna bark
bark bark
Corylus colurna bark
bark bark
Corylus colurna bark
bark bark
Corylus colurna bark

Seasonal colours

Corylus colurna seizoenskleur
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Flowers

Flowers

catkins striking pendulous

Flower colour

yellow-brown

Flowering period

March - April

Leaves

Leaf colour

matt green underside grey-green

Leaves

deciduous cordate matt polished rough underside hairy doubly serrate

Autumn colour

golden yellow

Fruits

Fruit colour

brown

Fruits

striking edible nut

Bark

Bark colour

pale brown

Bark

peeling corky

Twigs

Twig colour

pale brown

Twigs

bare finely branched

Root system

Root system

deep slightly branched tap root central root

For and by green professionals

The TreeEbb is a platform for and by green professionals, in which we collect knowledge and experience from the sector and make this available for users. All the details and photos are free to use for non-commercial purposes. Want to share your tree knowledge? Send photographs and additional information to treeebb@ebben.nl

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Winter hardiness

A plant's winter hardiness is the coldest area in which it is frost-resistant. This is based on the average annual minimum temperature. Winter hardiness zones are thirteen different frost zones in steps of 5.5 degrees Celsius. This format is an international standard for the hardiness of plants. The zones in which the plant is frost-resistant are always included in the description of trees and other vegetation.

Winter hardiness is a genetic characteristic and is not influenced by the location in which the plant is cultivated. This means that a plant that has been cultivated for many years in winter-hardiness zone 6 but has a winter hardiness of 3 is perfectly suited for replanting in a colder zone. It will thrive there thanks to its genetic characteristics.

When choosing planting for a project, the winter hardiness of the plants is extremely important. By choosing species that match the zone in which the project is being created, it is possible to ensure that plants can withstand the minimum temperature in that area.

Winter hardiness map
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