Practical
Plants

Gevuina avellana

Chilean Hazel

a perennial woody evergreen member of the Gevuina genus in the family Proteaceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Gevuina
Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
evergreen
Woodiness
woody
Growth rate
slow
Height
10 m
Spread
10 m
Fertility
Insects
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Insects

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - raw or cooked. A pleasant taste, similar to cob nuts[3][15][5][9]. A popular food in Chile where it is often sold in local markets and is a much sought after item of diet[7]. The seed contains about 12.5% protein, 49.5% oil, 24.1% carbohydrate[9]. The roasted seed is used as a coffee substitute[5].

Product or use
Coffee
Plant part
Seed

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The seedcase is a source of tannin[5]. Wood - light, strong, easily worked, elastic, not very durable. It is used for furniture, oars, roof-shingles etc[13][4][5].

Product or use
Tannin
Product or use
Wood

Ecology and functions

Ecosystem niche
Secondary canopy

Environment

Range
S. America - Chile.
Habitat
Wet mountain forests, where it rapidly colonizes cleared areas[12]. Grows from the snow-line down to the coast along the Pacific coast of the Andes[5]. It is seldom found in groups[5].
Shade tolerance
partial shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 9+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse. Sow stored seed as soon as possible in the year. The seed often germinates well but then sickens and dies, it has been suggested that this is due to the plants need of a symbiotic relationship with a soil-borne fungus. Adding some soil from around a growing plant to the seed compost might improve success rates. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts, and consider giving them some protection from the cold for their first winter or two outdoors. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame. Layering - hard pruning provides lots of material.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Requires a lime-free soil and a sheltered position[8]. Requires a well-drained moist fertile soil[11]. Best grown in semi-shade[12], the plant prefers woodland conditions[6]. A very ornamental plant[1][4], when dormant it is hardy to -10°c[10] in a sheltered woodland environment, but succeeds outdoors only in the milder areas of Britain, growing well in Devon and Cornwall[3][14]. The young growth in spring, even on mature plants, is frost-tender and so it is best to grow the plants in a position sheltered from the early morning sun[K]. Plants flower and set viable seed every year at Coleton Fishacre in S. Devon[2]. In general, however, flowering is unreliable in cool temperate zones[12]. The leaves are very variable in shape, ranging from pinnate to bipinnate, the leaflets varying in number from 3 to 30. There is probably some form of symbiotic relationship with a fungus in the soil that the plants are dependant upon. Plants are very intolerant of root disturbance[4].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

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  2. RHS. The Garden. Volume 111. Royal Horticultural Society 1986-00-00

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  3. Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  4. Rosengarten. jnr. F. The Book of Edible Nuts. Walker & Co. 1984-00-00 ISBN 0802707699

    ↩1↩2↩3

  5. ? Flora of Chile. (in Spanish)

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

  6. Taylor. J. The Milder Garden. Dent 1990-00-00

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  7. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

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  8. Thomas. G. S. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-7195-5043-2

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  9. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2

  10. Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Shrubs. Pan Books 1989-00-00 ISBN 0-330-30258-2

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  11. Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-86318-386-7

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  12. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3

  13. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

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  14. Thurston. Trees and Shrubs in Cornwall.

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  15. Howes. F. N. Nuts. Faber 1948-00-00

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