Corylus americana, commonly known as the American hazelnut or American filbert, is a deciduous shrub native to eastern and central North America, ranging from southern Canada through the United States east of the Great Plains. The genus name Corylus comes from the Greek korylos or korys, meaning “helmet,” in reference to the nut’s husk. The species epithet americana indicates its origin in the Americas. It belongs to the birch family (Betulaceae) and is closely related to the European hazelnut (Corylus avellana). The shrub typically grows in thickets along woodland edges, prairies, and hedgerows, producing small, round nuts encased in leafy husks.

The nuts of C. americana are edible, oily, and sweet, historically gathered by Indigenous peoples of North America as a staple food source and trade good. They were eaten raw, roasted, or ground into meal for porridges and bread, and sometimes pressed for oil. In modern times, while less commercially dominant than C. avellana, the American hazelnut is valued in permaculture and agroforestry systems due to its cold hardiness, adaptability, and resistance to eastern filbert blight. Its nuts are used in confections, baked goods, and nut butters, and the shrub also provides important wildlife food and habitat.