Corylus avellana Hazel

A common, deciduous shrub which usually produces many stems. Its softly-hairy leaves have toothed margins and prominent acuminate tips which act as a drip points. Hazel is monoecous, both female and male flowers are produced separately on the same plant. Wind pollination takes place in spring when clouds of pollen are released from the prominent male catkins, which are sometimes called 'lamb's tails'. They are a characteristic feature of the British countryside in early spring and sometimes appear in January in mild winters. Hazelnuts, which develop from the inconspicuous female flowers after fertilisation, mature in autumn and are eagerly collected and eaten by Grey Squirrels. Hazel generates new shoots (poles) from the base (see photos) as part of a natural coppicing process and this can be exploited in a sustainable way by periodically cutting the shoots to stimulate fresh production of poles. This coppiced 'underwood' was part of the traditional woodland management process that was employed by country people for centuries. The woodland compartments where coppicing was employed were called copses. Hazel wood is strong and can be used to make fences, woven baskets and walking sticks. It was one of the first hardwood trees to recolonise Britain after the last ice age and would have been an extremely valuable resource for early, post glacial cultures, providing firewood, wood for structural puposes and also food. Atlantic hazel woodlands which occur spradically along the oceanic, northwest coast of Scotland, as well as on some of the Hebridean islands, are biodiversity treasures that support remarkable communities of bryophytes, lichens and fungi. These ancient woodlands are probably relics of hazel-dominated forests that developed thousands of years ago. Hazel is very common and widespread in Britain where it is a common component of hedges, particularly ancient hedges, deciduous woodlands and scrub. It is found all over West Glamorgan but is uncommon in the steep, sessile-oak woodlands of the valleys in the South Wales Coalfield, preferring the more loamy soils on the lower slopes and in the bottom lands.