Corylus avellana

Corylus avellana, the common hazel, is a species of flowering plant in the birch family Betulaceae. The shrub usually grows 3 to 8 metres tall and is native to Europe and Western Asia. It is mainly cultivated for its nuts; while the name hazelnut applies to the nuts of any Corylus species, in commercial use it usually means C. avellana. The hazelnut, or cob nut, is the edible kernel of the seed and is eaten raw, roasted, or ground into a paste. Historically the shrub was an important part of the hedgerows used as field boundaries in lowland England, and its wood was grown as coppice, with the poles used for wattle-and-daub building and agricultural fencing.