Tennessee Smart Yards Native Plants
A comprehensive database of Tennessee native plants
American Filbert, Hazelnut
American Filbert, HazelnutCorylus americanaFull sun to light shade; medium to dry moisture; establishes easily in a wide range of soils; slightly acid to neutral pH.5-12 feet height by 4-8 feet spread; blooms in early spring; yellow-green male flowers and red-purple female flowers; fruits are oval nuts wrapped in a thin hairy husk in fall.Growth Rate: Medium to fastMaintenance: Infrequent disease and insect problemsPropagation: Moderately difficult from seedNative Region: StatewideSpreading, understory shrub that is able to grow higher and drier on the hillside than many of its competitors. Suckers into colonies that get gradually taller and wider, eventually becoming a loose, twiggy formation with an irregular, rather flattened appearance. Tolerates considerable dryness in summer but never wet feet. Tasty nuts which both people and squirrels love. Produces more nuts with a few hours of sun. Attracts butterflies, birds and small mammals.shrub;sun;medium;clay |
 Photo Courtesy of Prairie Moon Nursery https://www.prairiemoon.com/  Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia http://www.wikipedia.org/  Photo Courtesy of John Hilty http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/ |
Tennessee Smart Yards Native Plants 
This is a very adaptable, attractive, easy-to-grow shrub. Provided there is no drought to interfere with its getting started after you plant it, you can pretty much put it in the ground and leave it to do its thing. It is adaptable to different levels of light and water as well as different types of soil. It grows reasonably fast and is good food for wildlife. I planted a total of 3, including one in very heavy shade. The latter isn’t growing all that fast but it is growing even in that bad location.