American Hazelnut

Corylus americana 
 
 
 
This shrub provides interest throughout the growing season. Yellow catkins appear in early spring before the corrugated leaves emerge. The edible nuts ripen in late summer in clusters of 2-6, each enclosed by a pair of ragged-edged bracts. These nuts provide a food source for deer, squirrels, chipmunks, blue jays and other wildlife. Hazelnut grows well in poor soils, including gravel. Native people used the nuts as food, the bark for medicinal uses and as a black dye, and bundled the twigs for brooms and brushes.