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Introductory

SPECIES: Corylus cornuta var. californica | California Hazel
ABBREVIATION : CORCORC SYNONYMS : Corylus californica Rose Corylus rostrata var. californica A. DC. SCS PLANT CODE : COCOC COMMON NAMES : California hazel California hazelnut California filbert TAXONOMY : The accepted scientific name for California hazel is Corylus cornuta Marsh. var. californica (A. DC.) Sharp [15,27]. The genus Corylus comprises 15 species, most of which occur in Asia. Corylus cornuta is the only species native to the United States [5,17]. Corylus cornuta is distributed across North America. Corylus cornuta var. californica is the Pacific Coast entity of the species [5]; C. cornuta Marsh. var. cornuta (beaked hazel) is a shrub occupying the eastern range of the species [17]. There are two recognized forms of C. cornuta var. californica [5]: C. cornuta var. californica forma californica C. cornuta var. californica forma glandulosa (Boivin) stat.nov.(C. cornuta var. glandulosa Boivin). LIFE FORM : Tree, Shrub FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS : No special status OTHER STATUS : NO-ENTRY COMPILED BY AND DATE : Mary Lou Zimmerman, May 1991 LAST REVISED BY AND DATE : NO-ENTRY AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION : Zimmerman, Mary Lou 1991. Corylus cornuta var. californica. In: Remainder of Citation

DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE

SPECIES: Corylus cornuta var. californica | California Hazel
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION : California hazel occurs in California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia [26]. In California it occurs along the Coast Range from Santa Cruz County northward along the coast to Del Norte County, eastward through Siskiyou County, and southward in the Sierra Nevada to Tulare County [22]. In Oregon and Washington it occurs mostly west and occasionally east of the Cascades [13]. In British Columbia it occurs on the lower mainland and on Vancouver Island [12]. Intermediate forms of C. cornuta var. californica x C. cornuta var. cornuta may occur in the Fraser Canyon and Columbia Forest Region of British Columbia [5]. Corylus cornuta var. californica forma glandulosa is frequently found along the Pacific Coast. It is more frequent than C. cornuta var. californica forma californica on southern Vancouver Island but becomes scarcer inland [5]. ECOSYSTEMS : FRES20 Douglas-fir FRES23 Fir - spruce FRES24 Hemlock - Sitka spruce FRES27 Redwood FRES28 Western hardwoods STATES : CA OR WA BC ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS : CODA CRLA MORA NOCA OLYM PORE REDW WHIS BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS : 1 Northern Pacific Border 2 Cascade Mountains 3 Southern Pacific Border 4 Sierra Mountains KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS : K001 Spruce - cedar - hemlock forest K002 Cedar - hemlock - Douglas-fir forest K003 Silver fir - Douglas-fir forest K005 Mixed conifer forest K006 Redwood forest K007 Red fir forest K012 Douglas-fir forest K026 Oregon oakwoods K028 Mosaic of K002 and K026 K029 California mixed evergreen forest SAF COVER TYPES : 211 White fir 221 Red alder 222 Black cottonwood - willow 224 Western hemlock 226 Coastal true fir - hemlock 227 Western redcedar - western hemlock 229 Pacific Douglas-fir 230 Douglas-fir - western hemlock 232 Redwood 233 Oregon white oak 234 Douglas-fir - tanoak - Pacific madrone SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES : NO-ENTRY HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES : Published classifications listing California hazel as a dominant in plant associations (pas) or community types (cts) are presented below: Location Classification Authority OR: Willamette Valley forest cts Thilenius 1968 c Cascades forest pas, cts Dyrness and others 1974 Mary's Peak Watershed forest cts Anderson 1969 Mary's Peak Watershed forest cts Anderson 1967 s OR: Cascade Mountain Province forest pas Atzet and McCrimmon 1990

VALUE AND USE

SPECIES: Corylus cornuta var. californica | California Hazel
WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : In some localities, California hazel is browsed extensively by livestock and wildlife; in others it is scarcely used. Utilization depends on the relative palatability and abundance of associated vegetation in a given area [22,28]. In California, it is considered of slight importance as browse for mule deer [28]. In western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla)-red alder (Alnus rubra) forests in Oregon and Washington, it provides good big game browse [3]. Birds consume the buds and catkins [12]. Nuts of California hazel are a staple food of the Steller's Jay, chickaree, Townsend's chipmunk, Allen's chipmunk, golden-mantled squirrel, and digger squirrel [28]. PALATABILITY : The palatability of California hazel ranges from fair to poor for most livestock and wildlife species [22,26]. NUTRITIONAL VALUE : NO-ENTRY COVER VALUE : NO-ENTRY VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : California hazel is valuable as a soil binder on steep slopes [26]. OTHER USES AND VALUES : The edible nuts of California hazel have a sweet flavor and are commonly collected [26]. The glandular hairs (spiculae) on the nut husk (involucre) have been used as a remedy for parasitic intestinal worms [26]. Native peoples used the slender 1- and 2-year-old twigs for basket making [26]. MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : Beaked hazel has long been recognized as a major deterrent to the successful regeneration of upland conifers [7]. Heavilin [14], however, reported that California hazel shrubs up to 16 feet tall did not appear to deter succsessful establishment and growth of Douglas-fir (Psuedotsuga menziesii) seedlings planted under them. Chemical application is an effective method for control of California hazel. Most herbicidal applications to this shrub result in good top-kill; resulting root sprouts are less than one-third of the original plant height after two growing seasons [24]. Heavy browsing by deer can stimulate beaked hazel to produce basal sprouts or suckers. A 1952 clipping experiment produced similar results [12]. Total twig production was increased for 3 years under heavy clipping, but thereafter began to decline. Light clipping had little impact on growth [12]. The response of California hazel to clipping would probably be similar to that of beaked hazel. California hazel, however, does not have the ability to sprout from lateral root suckers.

BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS

SPECIES: Corylus cornuta var. californica | California Hazel
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : California hazel is an erect, deciduous, native, perennial shrub, or occasionally small tree [17]. It is multistemmed and loosely spreading, averaging 5 to 12 feet (1.5-4 m) in height. It can exceed 20 feet (6 m) in height and develop a treelike form with a singular trunk. The bark is smooth. The twigs are brown, slender, and zigzagged. The current year's twigs are hairy. Staminate flowers are borne in pedent catkins on the previous year's twigs. Pistillate fowers are borne singularly from small rounded buds and have bright red stigmas. The fruit is a round, smooth nut with a very hard shell. It is enclosed in a leafy sac which protrudes beyond the nut like a beak and is covered with stiff hairs. These sacs are borne singularly, or in groups of two or three, at the end of the current year's twigs. [6,13,19,22,26,28] RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM : Phanerophyte REGENERATION PROCESSES : Sexual: California hazel produces large seed crops at irregular intervals, every 2 or 3 years to every 5 years [6,12]. Late frosts can kill flowers, and dry weather can affect fertilization [12]. Seed production increases with stem age, peaking at 10 or 11 years, and ceasing when twigs are 18 years old [12]. Small mammals and birds are the primary dispersal agents [6]. Seeds have poor viablity in storage and must remain moist. Two to six months of chilling is required before germination can take place [6]. Germination rates are low. In laboratory tests, best results were achieved when the nuts were covered with humus to prevent drying [12]. Mirov and Kraebel [18] obtained 20 percent germination from seed stratified for 3 months in peat moss; seeds germinated 96 days after sowing. Seed survival is low due to animal predation. Although only a small number of nuts produce seedlings, in good seed years regeneration by seed allows California hazel to to invade new sites [12]. Vegetative: California hazel sprouts from the root crown after its aerial crown has been removed [26]. It does not sprout from lateral root suckers, as beaked hazel does [12]. California hazel also regenerates by layering [12]. SITE CHARACTERISTICS : California hazel is typically found on moist and well-drained sites. It occurs on cool shaded sites on north-facing slopes, along streambanks, in moist wooded canyons and slopes, in the understory of oak and conifer forests, and in open, burned or cut-over lands [20,22,26,28]. Soil: California hazel occurs on a variety of soils ranging from moist, black loam to dry, stony soils, and even appears in crevices in rocks. It is most abundant on the moderately fertile but stony soils of slopes, on dry and rocky islands, and along streambanks [26]. Climate: California hazel is adapted to a mild, temperate climate. It has lower frost resistance than beaked hazel [12]. Elevation: In the coastal mountains of California and at the northern edge of its range in British Columbia, California hazel occurs at low elevations. It occurs at increasingly higher elevations inland and at its southern perimeter [12,22,26]. It generally occurs below 7,000 feet (2,134 m) in California and from sea level to 2,625 feet (0-800 m) in British Columbia. SUCCESSIONAL STATUS : California hazel exhibits both tolerant and intolerant behavior. It is able to survive in the forest understory and to invade open sites. In central Oregon, California hazel was found growing under crown openings in a 36- to 40-year-old stand of Douglas-fir; it formed an even shrub layer in a 20-year-old Douglas-fir plantation; and it was found growing scattered over a recently clearcut unit [23]. In the Oregon Cascades, California hazel has been listed as an invader of clearcut and burned units of old-growth Douglas-fir (it was absent from the undergrowth of adjacent uncut units) [29]. SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT : Male and female flower buds are formed in late summer and remain dormant over the winter. Fowers emerge in January to March before the leaves appear [6,12,13,26]. Fruits develop by late summer or early fall [6] and ripen from from September to October in California [6] and from August to September in British Columbia [5]. In Oregon, vegetative buds begin to swell in mid-March, three-quarters of the leaves are fully developed by mid-June, and growth ceases in August [12].

FIRE ECOLOGY

SPECIES: Corylus cornuta var. californica | California Hazel
FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS : California hazel sprouts from the root crown after the aboveground portion of the plant has been destroyed [26]. POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY : Tall shrub, adventitious-bud root crown Initial-offsite colonizer (off-site, initial community)

FIRE EFFECTS

SPECIES: Corylus cornuta var. californica | California Hazel
IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT : The aboveground parts of California hazel are easily killed by fire, even by light spring fires [7,12]. Because of their moisture requirements, seeds probably do not survive the high temperatures and drying associated with fire. DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT : NO-ENTRY PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE : California hazel responds to spring fires by vigorous and abundant sprouting; sprouting after summer fires is less vigorous [7]. Prefire stature and density are regained in only a few years [12]. DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE : NO-ENTRY FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : Fire would destroy California hazel only under the most extreme fuel and weather conditions. Repeated spring burning conducted when the soil is moist simply increases the number of stems present [12]. However, repeated summer fires destroy hazel's ability to sprout by exposing and destroying underground root systems and exhausting stored food reserves [7].

References for species: Corylus cornuta var. californica


1. Anderson, Howard George. 1967. The phytosociology of some vine maple communities in the Mary's Peak watershed. Corvallis, OR: Oregon State University. 118 p. Thesis. [9877]
2. Anderson, H. G. 1969. Growth form and distribution of vine maple (Acer circinatum) on Marys Peak, western Oregon. Ecology. 50(1): 127-130. [8425]
3. Atzet, Thomas; McCrimmon, Lisa A. 1990. Preliminary plant associations of the southern Oregon Cascade Mountain Province. Grants Pass, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Siskiyou National Forest. 330 p. [12977]
4. Bernard, Stephen R.; Brown, Kenneth F. 1977. Distribution of mammals, reptiles, and amphibians by BLM physiographic regions and A.W. Kuchler's associations for the eleven western states. Tech. Note 301. Denver, CO: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. 169 p. [434]
5. Brayshaw, T. Christopher. 1976. Catkin bearing plants of British Columbia. Occas. Pap. No. 18. Victoria, BC: The British Columbia Provincial Museum. 176 p. [6170]
6. Brinkman, Kenneth A. 1974. Corylus L. hazel, filbert. In: Schopmeyer, C. S., technical coordinator. Seeds of woody plants in the United States. Agric. Handb. 450. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: 343-345. [7594]
7. Buckman, Robert E. 1964. Effects of prescribed burning on hazel in Minnesota. Ecology. 45(3): 626-629. [12204]
8. Dyrness, C. T.; Franklin, J. F.; Moir, W. H. 1974. A preliminary classification of forest communities in the central portion of the western Cascades in Oregon. Bulletin No. 4. Seattle, WA: University of Washington, Ecosystem Analysis Studies, Coniferous Forest Biome. 123 p. [8480]
9. Eyre, F. H., ed. 1980. Forest cover types of the United States and Canada. Washington, DC: Society of American Foresters. 148 p. [905]
10. Garrison, George A.; Bjugstad, Ardell J.; Duncan, Don A.; [and others]. 1977. Vegetation and environmental features of forest and range ecosystems. Agric. Handb. 475. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 68 p. [998]
11. Gratkowski, H. 1975. Silvicultural use of herbicides in Pacific Northwest forests. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-37. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Forest and Range Experiment Station. 44 p. [10998]
12. Haeussler, S.; Coates, D. 1986. Autecological characteristics of selected species that compete with conifers in British Columbia: a literature review. Land Management Report No. 33. Victoria, BC: Ministry of Forests, Information Services Branch. 180 p. [1055]
13. Hayes, Doris W.; Garrison, George A. 1960. Key to important woody plants of eastern Oregon and Washington. Agric. Handb. 148. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 227 p. [1109]
14. Heavilin, Danny. 1977. Conifer regeneration on burned and unburned clearcuts on granitic soils of the Klamath National Forest. Res. Note PSW-321. Berkeley, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station. 3 p. [4981]
15. Kartesz, John T.; Kartesz, Rosemarie. 1980. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. Volume II: The biota of North America. Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North Carolina Press; in confederation with Anne H. Lindsey and C. Richie Bell, North Carolina Botanical Garden. 500 p. [6954]
16. Kuchler, A. W. 1964. Manual to accompany the map of potential vegetation of the conterminous United States. Special Publication No. 36. New York: American Geographical Society. 77 p. [1384]
17. Little, Elbert L., Jr. 1979. Checklist of United States trees (native and naturalized). Agric. Handb. 541. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 375 p. [2952]
18. Mirov, N. T.; Kraebel, C. J. 1937. Collecting and propagating the seeds of California wild plants. Res. Note No. 18. Berkeley, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, California Forest and Range Experiment Station. 27 p. [9787]
19. Mitchell, Rod; Moir, Will. 1976. Vegetation of the Abbott Creek Research Natural Area, Oregon. Northwest Science. 50(1): 42-58. [1664]
20. Munz, Philip A. 1973. A California flora and supplement. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. 1905 p. [6155]
21. Raunkiaer, C. 1934. The life forms of plants and statistical plant geography. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 632 p. [2843]
22. Sampson, Arthur W.; Jespersen, Beryl S. 1963. California range brushlands and browse plants. Berkeley, CA: University of California, Division of Agricultural Sciences, California Agricultural Experiment Station, Extension Service. 162 p. [3240]
23. Schoenberger, M. Meyer; Perry, D. A. 1982. The effect of soil disturbance on growth and ectomycorrhizae of Douglas- fir and western hemlock seedlings: a greenhouse bioassay. Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 12: 343-353. [12940]
24. Stewart, R. E. 1974. Foliage sprays for site preparation and release from six coastal brush species. Res. Pap. PNW-172. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Forest and Range Experiment Station. 18 p. [11942]
25. Thilenius, John F. 1968. The Quercus garryana forests of the Willamette Valley, Oregon. Ecology. 49(6): 1124-1133. [8765]
26. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 1937. Range plant handbook. Washington, DC. 532 p. [2387]
27. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service. 1982. National list of scientific plant names. Vol. 1. List of plant names. SCS-TP-159. Washington, DC. 416 p. [11573]
28. Van Dersal, William R. 1938. Native woody plants of the United States, their erosion-control and wildlife values. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture. 362 p. [4240]
29. Yerkes, Vern P. 1960. Occurrence of shrubs and herbaceous vegetation after clear cutting old-growth Douglas-fir. Res. Pap. PNW-34. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Forest and Range Experiment Station. 12 p. [8937]
30. Zobel, Donald B.; Hawk, Glenn M.; McKee, W. Arthur; Dyrness, C. T. [n.d.]. Variation in plant moisture stress associated with forest communities in the H. J. Andrews Experimental Forest. U. S./International Biological Program, Ecosystem Analysis Studies, Coniferous Forest Biome. Seattle, Washington. 17. [10479]


[10479] Index

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