Beaked hazelnut (Corylus cornuta)

Gitxsan name:  sgantsak'
Wet'suwet'en name:  tsalik gg'a kun'

Botanical Description

• shrub 1-4 metres tall, with many stems
• twigs, leaves and bud scales covered in long white hairs when young
• elliptical to oval leaves, sharp-pointed tip and double-toothed margin
• spherical, edible nuts, enclosed in tubular, light green husks, covered in stiff prickly hairs, husks project beyond nut into a beak
• found in moist but well-drained sites at low elevations

                Photo courtesy of Jim Woollett (48kb)

Ethnobotanical Use

The only edible nut in northwestern B.C. The nuts were gathered and buried until the husks rotted away and then eaten. In dire need, the nuts could be taken from a squirrel cache and eaten as is. They were also pounded into cakes with berries, meat or animal fat. The nuts were also boiled to extract the oil, which was used to flavor foods. The leaves of the beaked hazelnut were also spread out as mats to clean salmon on.

The nut's milk was used to cure coughs and colds. The wood was used to make arrows, fishing traps, hooks, and spoons. Gitxsan made batons from the bent roots and played ground hockey with a flat rock.

Note:  Hazelton got its name due to the abundance of hazelnut bushes in the area.

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This digital collection was produced under contract to the SchoolNet Digital Collection Program, Industry Canada.
Revised: 08/21/98