Hazel  (Corylus avellana)

Hazel has a wide distribution throughout Europe, reaching as far east as the Ural Mountains in Russia, and from Scandinavia in the north to Spain, Italy and Greece in the south. It is also found in North Africa, Turkey, Iran and the Caucasus region of south west Russia (3).

Throughout its range, hazel tends to occur as an understory species in deciduous woods, particularly oak woodlands (3). In Britain it is a common feature of hedgerows, where it is coppiced (2).