Identification Features:

• Bark: Smooth, brown with a light bronze sheen. Horizontal lenticels. Very thin sheets can peel away. Later vertical fissures can appear.
• Twigs: Green-brown and covered with stiff, bristly hairs.
• Buds: Smooth, green-brown and oval in an alternate arrangement.

Description/General Character:
It can often be no more than a shrub with multiple stems but can grow into a taller tree with bushy crown.

Range:
A widespread native tree across much of Europe.

Habitat:
Forming a common understorey and hedgerow species. Historically frequently coppiced.

Other Observations:
Male catkins appear in autumn on previous season’s shoots. They are light green and truncheon-like. In spring they extend up to 8cm and take on a yellow hue. The female flowers are pinky-red and very small, appearing in middle section of twigs. It is these that eventually form into hazelnuts.