Beaked hazelnut is a very common shrub, 1-4 m tall, in moist but well-drained sites at low to middle elevations under open forests, in clearings, and along streams. The male and female flowers bloom in very early spring, before the leaves appear. The male catkins are the typical elongated and paper structures; the female catkins are very small and the red stigmas protrude out of the ends. The fruits are spherical, edible nuts surrounded by a light-green husk that extends beyond the nut into a beak. The fruits are usually in pairs or threes at the ends of branches. The leaves are elliptic with a heart-shaped base, a sharp-pointed tip, and a doubly toothed-margin. The winter twigs show a characteristic zig-zag pattern and globose buds.