About Corylus heterophylla Fisch. ex Trautv.
Corylus heterophylla Fisch. ex Trautv. is a deciduous shrub or small tree that reaches up to 7 meters (23 feet) in height, with stems growing up to 20 centimeters (8 inches) thick and covered in grey bark. Its leaves are rounded, measuring 4–13 cm (1+1⁄2–5 in) long and 2.5–10 cm (1–4 in) broad. Leaves have a coarsely double-serrated to somewhat lobed margin, and often have a truncated apex. This species produces wind-pollinated catkin flowers. Male pollen catkins are pale yellow, and 4 cm (1+1⁄2 in) long. In contrast, female catkins are bright red, and only 1–3 mm (1⁄16–1⁄8 in) long. The fruit is a nut that grows in clusters of 2 to 6. Each nut has a diameter of 0.7–1.5 cm (1⁄4–1⁄2 in), and is partly enclosed by a bract-like husk called an involucre that is 1.5–2.5 cm (1⁄2–1 in) long. It is very similar to the closely related common hazel (C. avellana) native to Europe and western Asia, differing in that its leaves are somewhat more lobed. The nut of this plant is edible, very similar in quality and characteristics to the common hazel nut, and it is cultivated commercially in China.
