Chapter 68: Chapter 68: Hazel Wands

A hazel wand is any wand that is crafted out of wood from a hazel tree. More specifically, a hazel wand is any wand that has a hazel shaft, a hazel handle, or both.

Hazel Trees

Hazel has numerous folk names including Cobbly-Cut (hazel nuts are sometimes referred to as cob nuts), Coll (ancient Irish), Filbeard, Halse, Hezzel, Nuttall, Ranger, and Victor-Nut, Wood-Nut. In Ireland, hazel is sometimes referred to as the Tree of Knowledge.

Hazel is a genus of approximately 15 species of deciduous trees and large shrubs that are native to the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Hazels have simple rounded leaves with serrated edges. They produce flowers in the very early spring before the leaves form. Individual trees produce both female flowers and separate male flowers in the form of pale yellow "lamb's tail" catkins. The seeds of all hazels are edible nuts, with the filbert being grown commercially. Hazel should not to be confused with witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana).