Side by side
Hazel or filbert? How to tell them apart
Corylus avellana · Corylus maxima
How to tell them apart – hazel: a short, ragged husk that does not fully enclose the nut, and rounder nuts; filbert: hazel whose nuts are completely enclosed in a long, tubular husk, the purple-leaved form is a well-known garden shrub.
How do you recognise them?
- Hazel
- Round, softly hairy leaf with a short pointed tip; yellow catkins in winter, and hazelnuts.
- Compared with filbert: a short, ragged husk that does not fully enclose the nut, and rounder nuts.
- Filbert
- Hazel whose nuts are completely enclosed in a long, tubular husk; the purple-leaved form is a well-known garden shrub.
| Hazel | Filbert | |
|---|---|---|
| Leaves | Alternate, almost round with a short pointed tip, 6–12 cm, double-toothed, softly hairy; heart-shaped base. | Alternate, round with a short pointed tip, 8–12 cm, double-toothed and softly hairy; dark reddish-purple in ‘Purpurea’. |
| Flowering | Yellow, hanging male catkins as early as January–February; tiny red stigmas of the female flowers (January–March). | Yellow, hanging male catkins in February–March; tiny red stigmas of the female flowers (February–March). |
| Fruit | Hazelnuts in a leafy, ragged husk (September). | Elongated nuts (2–2.5 cm), completely enclosed in a tubular husk that is constricted at the tip and extends well beyond the nut, September. |
| Bark | Glossy grey-brown with pale lenticels. | Smooth, greyish-brown with pale lenticels. |
| Shape and height | Shrub, 3–8 m, multi-stemmed shrub | Shrub, 4–6 m, multi-stemmed shrub |
| Site | Sun to shade, any garden soil, normal | Sun or partial shade, any garden soil, normal |
| 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–March |
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.
Read on
- Plant profile: Hazel
- Plant profile: Filbert
- Hazel: when and how to prune
- Filbert: when and how to prune
- Identification key
Also looks like
- Hazel or alder
- Turkish hazel or hazel
- Hazel or hop-hornbeam
- Hazel or elm
- Hazel or wych elm
- Hazel or winter hazel
- Hazel or witch hazel
- Hazel or large-leaved lime
Identify by feature
This comparison is compiled from the Bladwijzer species pages.