March 29, 2005
Filbert, American Hazelnut (Corylus americana)
The female flowers of the filbert are minute, but colored an intense magenta. The male catkins are large, greenish, and much more abundant.

The flowers of filbert shrubs are imperfect, which means that male and female reproductive structures exist on separate flowers. A perfect flower contains both male and female parts. These plants are also monoecious ("one house") because both male and female flowers are borne on one plant. Dioecious species ("two houses") produce male and female flowers on separate plants.