The Turkish hazel is native to SE Europe and Asia Minor and was introduced into cultivation in 1582. It is a much larger tree than our native hazel (Corylus avellana) usually having a single straight trunk and a rather tidy symmetrical shape. The leaves are quite similar to the native hazel, but more lobed and shinier. The nuts are also similar, but are contained in a distinctive frilly, bristly cup. The two specimens in Belfast Botanic Gardens, either side of the entrance from the herbaceous border to the rose garden, were planted in 1974. One is the conical shape typical of the species, the other has a more flattened profile.

Photos taken in Belfast Botanic Gardens in 2009. Copyright: Friends of Belfast Botanic Gardens.