With pretty flowers, edible nuts, and showy fall foliage the Missouri native shrub American Hazelnut, Corylus americana, delights in the garden as well as feeds local wildlife. Spring brings monoecious (separate male and female flowers on the same plant) flowers with the showy male catkins and small female red catkins. The longer male catkins dangle on the bare shrub looking like ribbons dancing in the wind. As summer progresses the female flowers give way to small edible nuts encased in a leafy husk. The hazelnuts are edible and may be used like the better-known European Hazelnut, but are usually left for wildlife. Squirrels, foxes, turkeys, and woodpeckers love these tasty nuts. In fall the green leaves turn pretty rusty red and orange. Host plant to the regal Luna Moth and other native moths.

Plant in sun, part shade, or full shade. Tolerant of many different soil and light conditions, American Hazelnut can be planted just about anywhere but in areas with dark shade and consistently wet soils. This larger shrub is a perfect choice for a backdrop in a garden, a windbreak, or a privacy hedge.