Description:
A small bushy tree, with alternate leaves, almost heart shaped, which appear in May. Beautiful yellow catkins appear in February, rich with pollen, and nuts appear in late summer. |
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Myths and Legends |
Facts, Figures and Uses |
Animals could be protected by hazel’s magic powers. When a horse had eaten too much, hazel twigs were bound to make it well again. Of course, the correct rhyme had to be recited for it to work.
A good crop of hazel nuts was said to foretell either disasters or good fortune: “Many nuts many graves”, or, on the other hand, better things like plenty of babies.
The magic power of the hazel nut is said to be strongest on halloween (also called Nutcrack Night). The fate of lovers would be determined by how well the nuts blazed in the fire. The brighter the flame, the stronger the passion. If 2 nuts burned quietly side by side, the lovers would be faithful, but if one rolled away they would not... |
Few hazels ever reach tree height– most ending up as large shrubs of 13Ft (4m) in a hedge. Undisturbed single trees can reach 20ft (6m).
Hazel nuts or cobs ripen in late August / early September and are a valuable food source for many animals.
They are also prized by humans for eating raw, and also making into spreads and sauces, often with chocolate.
Hazel was used to build the coracles (boats) used by Welsh fishermen 3000 years ago, wattles for early house building, hurdles and walking sticks.
Hazel was also used to dowse (search) for water and minerals. Using a forked twig, a ‘diviner’ walked over the ground holding the two prongs of the hazel fork. When passing over water under the ground, the twig started to twitch. |
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