Common hazel

Corylus avellana
Edible
Common hazel
Photo: Ermell, CC BY-SA, Wikimedia Commons
Common hazel
Photo: Agnes Monkelbaan, CC BY-SA, Wikimedia Commons
Common hazel
Photo: Pierre Dalous, CC BY-SA, Wikimedia Commons

About

Common hazel is a tall bush, sometimes a small tree, 2–7 m high, without which it is hard to imagine the edges and underbrush of the Carpathian deciduous and mixed forests. It is shade-tolerant, so it feels good under the canopy of beech, hornbeam, or oak, and forms dense thickets in clearings and edges. It is widespread throughout Ukraine.

Common hazel blooms as one of the first — in March–April, before the leaves unfold. Male flowers are gathered in long yellow catkins that release pollen at the slightest breeze, while female flowers are hidden in buds, with only tiny red stigmas peeking out. The leaves are broad, rounded, with a double-toothed edge, and feel soft to the touch.

The fruit is a nut 15–20 mm wide in a green tubular husk; it ripens in August. Common hazel nuts are eaten by humans, but even more so by forest inhabitants: squirrels, jays, creepers, mice, and dormice. The dormouse, a small reddish rodent, particularly loves hazelnuts, which is why it is called 'hazel dormouse' in English. The nut kernel is very nutritious, containing 57–62% fat. Cultivated varieties of hazel are known as filbert. Mushrooms often grow under hazel, forming mycorrhiza with it, including the delicate chanterelle, which should not be collected.

Common hazel is not listed in the Red Book of Ukraine. When collecting nuts, leave some for animals and birds: it is an important winter reserve for them.

Where in the Carpathians

fewermore8 838 records in the Carpathians

The map shows where naturalists recorded the species (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY records), not every place it lives. The Ukrainian Carpathians are less studied, so a blank area does not mean the species is absent.

Countries
Slovakia · Czechia · Ukraine · Poland · Romania · Austria · Hungary
Mountain ranges
Strážov Mountains, Slovak Ore Mountains, Greater Fatra, Low Tatras, Lesser Fatra, White Carpathians, Volovec Mountains, Slovak Central Mountains, Považský Inovec, Pieniny
Altitude belts
Foothills (below 600 m) · Beech forests (600–1200 m)

When to see it

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Flowering
Fruit

From naturalists’ observations in the Carpathians (iNaturalist, research grade): the darker the cell, the more often the species is seen that month.

Protection and rules

Not listed in the Red Book of Ukraine.

Red Data Book of Ukraine

FAQ

When to collect Common hazel nuts in the Carpathians?

Hazelnuts ripen in August when the husk begins to brown, and the nut easily falls out.

When does Common hazel bloom?

In March–April, before the leaves unfold: the long yellow catkins are the male flowers.

Similar species

Common hornbeamCommon hornbeamCarpinus betulusA tree with a ribbed silvery-gray trunk. In the Carpathians, it grows in the foothills and lower parts of the mountains alongside beech and oak.
Hazel dormouseHazel dormouseMuscardinus avellanariusA tiny reddish dormouse of hazel thickets. It lives at night in bushes and hibernates in a nest on the ground during winter. It is protected in the EU.
Eurasian jayIn season nowEurasian jayGarrulus glandariusA colorful forest bird with a blue 'mirror' on its wing. Its creaky call is the first to warn the forest about a human.

Where to meet it

Trails

Zelene village, via Mount Skupova to VerkhovynaHardMulti-dayZelene village to Verkhovynavia Mount SkupovaElevation profile601–1 579 m32.7 kmascent 995 m≈ 10 h walkingNo. 5014 «To Zakhar Berkut»: Tukhlia – Mount MakivkaModerateOne-dayMarkedNo. 5014 «To Zakhar Berkut»: Tukhlia Mount MakivkaElevation profile525–958 m14.4 kmascent 743 m≈ 5 h walkingVerkhovyna – Mount SkupovaModerateTwo-dayVerkhovyna Mount SkupovaElevation profile601–1 399 m15.3 kmascent 905 m≈ 5.5 h walkingVerkhovyna – Krynta-Skupova ridgeModerateTwo-dayVerkhovyna Krynta-Skupova ridgeElevation profile601–1 422 m18.7 kmascent 908 m≈ 6.5 h walkingVerkhovyna – Krynta-Skupova ridge – VerkhovynaModerateTwo-dayVerkhovyna loopvia Krynta-Skupova ridgeElevation profile602–1 322 m22.2 kmascent 766 m≈ 7 h walkingNo. 5013 Slavsko – Mount Tatarivka (Teterivka)ModerateOne-dayMarkedNo. 5013 Slavsko Mount Tatarivka (Teterivka)Elevation profile587–1 149 m8.6 kmascent 775 m≈ 3.5 h walking
Tukhlia village, via Mount Makivka to SlavskeHardTwo-dayTukhlia village to Slavskevia Mount MakivkaElevation profile521–1 090 m23.2 kmascent 1 065 m≈ 8 h walkingNo. 5011 Slavsko «Where Three Regions Meet»HardTwo-dayMarkedNo. 5011 Slavsko «Where Three Regions Meet»Elevation profile592–1 287 m24.5 kmascent 1 326 m≈ 9 h walkingNo. 5001 Slavske – Mount Ilza – Volosianka villageModerateOne-dayMarkedNo. 5001 Slavske Volosianka villagevia Mount IlzaElevation profile599–1 065 m9.1 kmascent 492 m≈ 3.5 h walkingMount Bila Kobyla – VerkhovynaEasyOne-dayMount Bila Kobyla VerkhovynaElevation profile613–1 466 m9.5 kmascent 27 m≈ 2.5 h walkingTo Sokolyne BerdoEasyOne-dayMarkedTo Sokolyne BerdoElevation profile331–674 m2.6 kmascent 344 m≈ 1.5 h walkingDilove village, via Yalynskyi Waterfall to Shchavora polonynaModerateTwo-dayDilove village to Shchavora polonynavia Yalynskyi WaterfallElevation profile346–1 338 m16.3 kmascent 1 042 m≈ 6 h walking

Waters and waterfalls

Chornyi Cheremosh RiverRiverChornyi Cheremosh RiverVerkhovynaThe Chornyi Cheremosh rises south-east of Burkut on the slopes of the Chyvchyn Mountains, the most remote corner of...Lazny waterfallWaterfallLazny waterfallDrohobych districtLaznyi is a waterfall in the Ukrainian Carpathians (in the Skole Beskydy massif), a hydrological natural monument of...Sopit waterfallWaterfallSopit waterfallSopitSopit (Sopitsky ) is a waterfall in the Ukrainian Carpathians on the territory of the Skole Beskydy National Nature...Bystrytsia Solotvynska RiverRiverBystrytsia Solotvynska RiverSolotvynThe Bystrytsia Solotvynska rises at about 1,390 m at the foot of Mala Syvulia and Bystryk, near the Peklo cliffs in...Vilshany ReservoirLakeVilshany ReservoirVilshanyThe Vilshany Reservoir, also called the Tereblia-Rika Reservoir, is a narrow mountain lake in the Tereblia valley...Probiy waterfall, YaremcheWaterfallProbiy waterfall, YaremcheYaremcheProbiy Waterfall is located in the heart of the Carpathian Mountains, in the city of Yaremche.
"Shypit Waterfall" PylypetsWaterfall"Shypit Waterfall" PylypetsPylypetsIn a cozy corner of the Carpathian Mountains, among the evergreen mountain forests and steep, sharp cliffs, lies the...Gurkalo waterfallWaterfallGurkalo waterfallKorchynGurkal, located on the Velyka Richka River, has a very eloquent name! You can't argue with it, especially when the...Teresva RiverRiverTeresva RiverUst-ChornaThe Teresva forms in Ust-Chorna, where the Mokrianka and Brusturianka meet, and flows south through Dubove, Kalyny,...

Mountain ranges: In other countries: 🇸🇰 Strážov Mountains, 🇸🇰 Slovak Ore Mountains, 🇸🇰 Greater Fatra, 🇸🇰 Low Tatras, 🇸🇰 Lesser Fatra, 🇨🇿 White Carpathians, 🇸🇰 Volovec Mountains, 🇸🇰 Slovak Central Mountains, 🇸🇰 Považský Inovec, 🇵🇱 Pieniny, 🇸🇰 Štiavnica Mountains, 🇸🇰 Kysuce Beskids, 🇵🇱 Low Beskids, 🇸🇰 Kremnica Mountains

Trails and peaks near which naturalists recorded the species (GBIF, iNaturalist), matched by altitude and habitat. Sightings are not guaranteed.

Sources

GBIF · iNaturalist · Wikidata · Distribution data: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY records), iNaturalist; names and identifiers: Wikidata (CC0). Text: Karpaty.rocks, checked 09.11.2026.