American hazelnut, corylus americana 3a-3b

Good pollinator and good producer... ideal for those wanting hazelnuts in a northern climate

The American hazel or American hazel grows in several places in North America, from southern Manitoba to the southeastern American states. On the other hand, it is very rarely seen in the extreme south-west of Quebec or even non-existent. The tree is very resistant to cold but slightly less so than our long-billed hazel. It is a very good pollinator for other species if you have a plantation. It can pollinate quite late in the season and for a long time. It produces clusters of several small, thick-shelled hazelnuts and sometimes the hazelnuts are of medium size but in general terms they are not much larger than the hazelnuts of the hazelnut Corylus cornuta. The American hazel is probably hardy in zone 2b which makes it a very good candidate for more northern plantings mixed with other varieties such as Northern or Het 1 and Het 3. Its height rarely exceeds 3 meters. It suckers a lot on the other hand, which is a good fault because you will have to constantly prune the suckers so as not to have a huge grove. It does not attract harmful insects in the same way as hybrid hazelnut trees, which is a good thing.