Corylus ferox

What to Eat

Edible parts: Nuts, Seeds, Fruit

The seed can be eaten raw or cooked. It is small with a thick shell, and tastes similar to the common filbert, C. maxima. The seed ripens in mid to late autumn and will likely need protection from squirrels. Stored unshelled in a cool place, nuts keep for at least 12 months. An edible oil is also obtained from the seed.

Where to Find It

It is a temperate plant. It grows in forests on mountain slopes between 1500–3800 m altitude in China. In Nepal they grow between 2600-3200 m altitude.

Asia, Bhutan, China, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Myanmar, Nepal, Northeastern India, SE Asia, Sikkim, Tibet,

How to Identify

A tree. It grows to about 10-20 m high. The bark is dark grey and cracked. The young shoots have silky hairs. The leaves are 4.5-16 cm long by 2.5-7.5 cm wide. They are oval and taper to the tip. They have fine teeth around the edges. They are hairy especially underneath. The flowers are yellow. The fruit is a nut. They are oval. They occur in dense clusters. They are tightly packed together. They are slightly flattened.

How to Grow

An easily grown plant, it succeeds in most soils, but is in general more productive of seeds when grown on soils of moderate fertility. It does less well in rich heavy soils or poor ones. Does well in a loamy soil. Very suitable for an alkaline soil, but it dislikes very acid soils. Plants are fairly wind tolerant. This species is not hardy in the colder areas of the country, it tolerates temperatures down to between -5 and -10°c. Members of this genus bear transplanting well and can be easily moved even when relatively large.

Propagation: Seed is best sown as soon as it is harvested in autumn in a cold frame, germinating in late winter or spring. Stored seed should be pre-soaked in warm water for 48 hours, then given 2 weeks of warm stratification followed by 3–4 months of cold stratification; it germinates in 1–6 months at 20°C. When large enough to handle, prick seedlings out into individual pots and grow on in a cold frame or sheltered spot outdoors through their first winter, then plant out in late spring or early summer. Layering in autumn is easy and takes about 6 months. Division of suckers in early spring is very easy; divisions can be planted straight into permanent positions.

Medicinal Uses

None known

Other Uses

An oil is obtained from the seed. The wood is soft and even-grained.

Corylus ferox, the Himalayan hazelnut or Tibetan hazelnut, is a species of hazel native to the Himalayas of eastern Asia.

Production

In Sikkim fruit are available July to November.

Notes

There are about 15 Corylus species.

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