Turkish Hazelnut

(Corylus colurna), a tree of the family Corylaceae. It grows to 28 m, and its trunk has a diameter up to 60 cm. The dense crown forms a broad pyramid. The Turkish hazelnut lives up to 200 years. The fruits are nearly globose nuts, which are up to 2 cm across and have a thick, hard shell and a small, tasty kernel. The nuts grow in clusters of three to eight. The trees grow wild in the USSR (the Caucasus), on the Balkan Peninsula, in Asia Minor, in northern Iran, and in the Himalayas. The flowers bloom in March and April, and the nuts ripen in September. Nut-bearing is irregular, occurring every two or three years. The plants are propagated from seeds, layers, and grafts on European hazels. The wood, which is attractive, is pink and fine-grained. It is used primarily in furniture-making and the production of small wooden articles.