Plant Family: Betulaceae
Growth Form: Large rhizomatous shrub up to 3 meters high that forms thickets.
Leaves: Alternate, simple, double-toothed, ovate to rounded with a pointed apex, sticky reddish hairs stand out from the leaf petioles and leaf underside (as shown).
Bark: Gray to brown, new twigs covered in sticky red hairs.
Flowers: Male catkins single or in groups of 2 or 3, female flowers tiny with bright red styles, wind-pollinated; April to May.
Fruits: One to as many as five leafy two-part husks, each enclosing a single brown nut, late August to October.
Habitat: Dry wood edges, upland thickets, fencerows, roadsides, usually in full sun.
Range: Uncommon in northern New England, more common in Massachusetts and further south, ranging over most of the eastern U. S.
Similar Species: The twigs and leaves of Beaked Hazelnut lack sticky red hairs, and the fruits have long tubular beaks.
Comments: The closely related European Hazelnut (C. avellana) is cultivated for its larger nuts (filberts) that are harvested and sold commercially.
