Side by side
Hazel or hop-hornbeam? How to tell them apart
Corylus avellana · Ostrya carpinifolia
How to tell them apart – hazel: round, softly hairy leaf, a multi-stemmed shrub; hop-hornbeam: looks like a hornbeam, but with fruit clusters resembling hops and rough, flaking bark.
How do you recognise them?
- Hazel
- Round, softly hairy leaf with a short pointed tip; yellow catkins in winter, and hazelnuts.
- Compared with hop-hornbeam: round, softly hairy leaf; a multi-stemmed shrub.
- Hop-hornbeam
- Looks like a hornbeam, but with fruit clusters resembling hops and rough, flaking bark.
| Hazel | Hop-hornbeam | |
|---|---|---|
| Leaves | Alternate, almost round with a short pointed tip, 6–12 cm, double-toothed, softly hairy; heart-shaped base. | Alternate, 5–10 cm, oval with a pointed tip, sharply double-toothed, with 11–15 pairs of parallel veins. |
| Flowering | Yellow, hanging male catkins as early as January–February; tiny red stigmas of the female flowers (January–March). | Hanging male catkins in April; they are visible all winter at the tips of the twigs (April–May). |
| Fruit | Hazelnuts in a leafy, ragged husk (September). | Hanging clusters 3–5 cm long of white, bladder-like bracts, each enclosing a nutlet, like hops. |
| Bark | Glossy grey-brown with pale lenticels. | Grey-brown; on older trees in narrow, loose flakes. |
| Shape and height | Shrub, 3–8 m, multi-stemmed shrub | Broadleaf tree, 10–20 m |
| Site | Sun to shade, any garden soil, normal | Sun or partial shade, any garden soil, dry |
| Native to Belgium | Yes | No, planted |
| Good for bees, butterflies and birds | Yes, for bees, butterflies and birds | – |
| Poisonous to people and pets | Not known to be poisonous | Not known to be poisonous |
| Pruning months | November–March | November–February |
What does it mean for your garden?
- Hazel is native: it feeds more insects and birds than a non-native species. If in doubt, choose this one.
- Hop-hornbeam grows 10–20 m tall: too big for an ordinary garden, but fine in a large garden, a park or a meadow.
Read on
- Plant profile: Hazel
- Plant profile: Hop-hornbeam
- Hazel: when and how to prune
- Hop-hornbeam: when and how to prune
- Identification key
Also looks like
This comparison is compiled from the Bladwijzer species pages.