Side by side
Hazel or large-leaved lime? How to tell them apart
Corylus avellana · Tilia platyphyllos
How to tell them apart – hazel: round, softly hairy leaf with a short pointed tip, yellow catkins in winter, and hazelnuts; large-leaved lime: finely toothed, lopsided heart-shaped leaf, a large tree.
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How do you recognise them?
- Hazel
- Round, softly hairy leaf with a short pointed tip; yellow catkins in winter, and hazelnuts.
- Large-leaved lime
- Large, lopsided heart-shaped leaf with a softly hairy underside and white tufts of hair in the vein axils.
- Compared with hazel: finely toothed, lopsided heart-shaped leaf; a large tree.
| Hazel | Large-leaved lime | |
|---|---|---|
| Leaves | Alternate, almost round with a short pointed tip, 6–12 cm, double-toothed, softly hairy; heart-shaped base. | Alternate, lopsided heart-shaped, 6–15 cm, finely toothed. Underside light green and softly hairy all over, with white tufts of hair in the vein axils. |
| Flowering | Yellow, hanging male catkins as early as January–February; tiny red stigmas of the female flowers (January–March). | Clusters of 2–5 fragrant yellow flowers on a tongue-shaped bract, in late June (June). |
| Fruit | Hazelnuts in a leafy, ragged husk (September). | Hard, globular nutlets with 5 distinct ribs. |
| Bark | Glossy grey-brown with pale lenticels. | Grey, finely fissured. Young twigs hairy. |
| Shape and height | Shrub, 3–8 m, multi-stemmed shrub | Broadleaf tree, 25–35 m |
| Site | Sun to shade, any garden soil, normal | Sun or partial shade, any garden soil, normal |
| Native to Belgium | Yes | Yes |
| Good for bees, butterflies and birds | Yes, for bees, butterflies and birds | Yes, for bees and butterflies |
| 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?
- Both are native and good for wildlife: choose what suits your soil, your light and the space you have.
- Large-leaved lime grows 25–35 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: Large-leaved lime
- Hazel: when and how to prune
- Large-leaved lime: when and how to prune
- Identification key: the question that separates them
Also looks like
- Hazel or alder
- Large-leaved lime or small-leaved lime
- Turkish hazel or hazel
- Hazel or hop-hornbeam
- Hazel or elm
- Hazel or filbert
- Hazel or wych elm
- Hazel or winter hazel
Identify by feature
This comparison is compiled from the Bladwijzer species pages.