Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’ (Harry Lauder’s walking stick)

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Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’

Harry Lauder’s walking stick

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Rosidae	Roses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more
Order	Fagales	Birch, she-oak, beech, walnut, bayberry, others
Family	Betulaceae	Birch family: birches, alders, hazels, hornbeams and hop-hornbeams
Genus	Corylus	From the Greek korylos and the Latin corylus or corulus, “hazel, “ and a Latin name for the hazelnut or filbert. OR from the Greek korylos, or korys, “helmet,” referring to the husk on the nut
Species	avellana	From Avella Veccia (southern Italy) or Avellino (city east of Naples where this plant was much cultivated and called nux Avellana by the Romans)
Cultivar	‘Contorta’	Refers to the twisted branches

About plant names...

Hazelnuts, the fruits of Corylus avellana, or European hazelnut, are popular plain, or ground as a paste, or as a flavoring in chocolate and coffee. Hazelnuts have long been cultivated for their nutritious nuts. The ‘Contorta’ variant has fantastically contorted branches and twisted leaves. Apparently a natural variety, it was first discovered in Great Britain during the mid-1800s, by Victorian gardener Canon Ellacombe. Scottish singer and comedian Sir Henry Lauder (1870-1950) adopted a branch from this shrub as his comically twisted cromach (walking stick), hence the common name.

Sir Henry Lauder, in full Highland regalia—kilt, sporran, tam o' shanter, and twisted walking stick.

Plants: These deciduous shrubs reach a maximum height of 8-10' (2.4-3 m), and have a rounded appearance.

Leaves: Hairy, alternate, elliptic to ovate, and doubly serrate. Leaves are 2-4" (5-10 cm) × 1½-3" (3.8-7.6 cm) in size. I’ve never seen a specimen whose leaves weren’t wrinkled and bent, as if in sympathy for the branches.

Flowers: Male flowers, catkins, are yellowish-brown and 2-3" (5-7.6 cm) long. Female flowers are very small, with red stigmas, appearing just above the catkins. Flowers appear from March to April.

Fruits: Hazelnuts are embedded in a hard shell that is, in turn, surrounded by a leafy outer husk that tapers to a fairly sharp tip. The nuts appear from August to September.

Edibility: Hazelnuts have been cultivated for centuries.

Online References:

The Missouri Botanical Garden

The University of Connecticut Plant Database

Www.friendsgbg.org.au (PDF)

Www.pnwplants.wsu.edu

Wikipedia Harry Lauder, the performer

Rob’s Plants

6/17/2012 · Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay, Maine
≈ 7 × 10" (18 × 25 cm)

3/30/2013 · Stan and Connie’s, Falmouth, Maine
≈ 4½ × 3½" (11 × 9.2 cm)

Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’ description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 22 Sep 2020.

9/7/2010 · Tower Hill Botanic Garden, Boylston, Massachusetts
≈ 16 × 24" (41 × 62 cm)

3/22/1999 · By Constance B. Kent

8/1/2009 · Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay, Maine
≈ 33 × 50" (83 × 125 cm)

7/24/2010 · Acton Arboretum, Acton, Massachusetts
≈ 31 × 46" (78 × 117 cm)

9/7/2010 · Tower Hill Botanic Garden, Boylston, Massachusetts
≈ 16 × 24" (41 × 62 cm)

Range: Zones 4-8:

About this map...