These Hazelnut trees were frequent throughout this diverse deciduous forest. The leaves of the Hazelnut, though similar to alder, are distinguishable by their incredibly soft texture! The tree was in flower with catkins not unlike alder, but later in the season they will turn into the nuts that give name to this tree. The trees were about 5 m tall on average with leaves very coarsely toothed.
The hazels (Corylus) are a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate northern hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae, though some botanists split the hazels (with the hornbeams and allied genera) into a separate family Corylaceae.
