Currently bearing catkins this hazel is at its peak in the winter months.
The genus Corylus comprises approximately 15 species, the most familiar of which is C. avellana, which occurs in Europe, including the British Isles, western Asia and North Africa. C. maxima has a natural distribution of southern Europe, and while similar in habit to C. avellana is more robust, with larger catkins to 7 cm in length. These will be followed by filberts, or nuts, which are covered by deeply lobed husks. Introduced to our gardens in 1759, this species has been used in the breeding of commercially grown filberts.