Hazelnut Flowers

Some of PEI’s early spring wildflowers are showy, in-your-face sorts. Others are tiny, delicate, and go unnoticed to all except to those specifically looking for them. Today’s plant is in the latter category, and one of my favourites: Beaked Hazelnut (Corylus cornuta), flowering now.

Hazelnut is a common, native understorey shrub found in mixed forests and along streams and trails across the Island. It stands out in the landscape this time of year, with finger-like male catkins lengthening out and easy to spot before leaves appear. Those male catkins were formed last fall, and spent the winter in a compact form, about an inch or so long. Longer days and warmer spring temperatures trigger the male catkins to elongate and release pollen.

While the male catkins may be what catches your attention, it’s the tiny red female flowers that keep it. When the sun hits them just right, they look like jewels on the tips of the branches. Those red bits aren’t petals, but parts of the flower called stigmas that receive pollen. Each stigma has the potential to develop into a tasty Hazelnut.

Hazelnuts are wind pollinated, relying on tossing large quantities of pollen in the air, with the hope that some will land on these female flowers. These plants don’t need insects for reproduction and so the flowers don’t offer nectar, but pollen from the male catkins is an important early-spring food source for native bees.

Over the summer, those jewel-like female flowers will develop into delicious Hazelnuts, also known as Filberts, that usually ripen in late August. Each nut will be encased in a bristly green husk with a long “beak” (inset photo), which gives Beaked Hazelnut its common name. If you can get the nuts before the squirrels do, Hazelnuts can be toasted in a pan or roasted in the oven for enjoying as a snack, adding to baked goods, or making your own Nutella.

This is a great time of year to spot Hazelnuts for later foraging. When you do, take a moment to appreciate those tiny flowers that mature into such tasty nuts. A beautiful, useful, and delicious member of PEI Untamed!