Turkish Hazel
The Turkish Hazel (Corylus colurna) is a wonderful tree for a large garden - straight-stemmed and forming a generally symmetrical conical-shape, its loved by landscape architects for the uniformity and structure it gives. Unlike common hazels, it doesnt sucker, so no problems with new stems coming up in the middle of your nearby lawn.
The fruit, although smaller than a European hazel, is tasty. The husks are so deeply incised as to be almost spiny - they make a curious and very ornamental table decoration!
As the name suggests, it is native to most of the Balkan states, from northern Turkey through to northern Iran. It is also found growing wild in the temperate forests of the Western Himalayas. This tree is as tough as they come, tolerating dry thin soil, air pollution, heat, cold and drought. For preference though, it enjoys a moist, well-drained soil in full sun.