Hazelnut, 26th of September 2015.

Watercolor. 27 cm x 19 cm.

Hazelnuts (above). >> Click on the image to display it in larger resolution.

>> Corylus avellana or >> Corylus maxima ? I am not a botanical expert, but it could perhaps be maxima because the involucres were noticeably longer than the nuts themselves (this can be best seen on the leftmost nut in the group - above).

They were painted on 30th of July this year, when the cob was still immature and its shell completely elastic and yellow-green in places.

Country which produces by far the largest quantities of hazelnuts (3/4 of world's production) is Turkey, and of all the hazelnuts produced, Nutella consumes about 1/4. Hazelnuts contain vitamins (especially E and B) and minerals (particularly manganese, magnesium and iron - when compared against the daily quantities required by human organism).

Hazelnuts in the image below (Corylus avellana) were published first in the book >> Flora Londinensis by English botanist >> William Curtis (1746 - 1799). I don't know who the illustrator was, Flora Londinensis was illustrated by James Sowerby (whom I already mentioned in >> the post on poppy), Sydenham Edwards and William Kilburn. It is also possible that the illustrator is someone else because William Jackson Hooker (NOT the William Hooker, illustrator, whom I mentioned in a >> recent post on plums) in years 1817 and 1828 published an extended edition of Flora with his own text.

The hazelnuts in the image below were painted by >> George Brookshaw (1751 - 1823) in year 1817. They were published in his book Pomona Britannica.

Brookshaw is known for his skill in painting furniture with floral decorations. According to some sources (Rachel MacGregor), although he was noted as a botanical illustrator, he never reached the fame (and money) from the days of furniture business.

The hazelnuts below were painted by Pierre-Joseph Redouté, the "Raphael of flowers" whom I mentioned in the >> post on rose and the >> post on dahlia. Masterful.

Finally, the hazelnuts in the image below were painted by Otto Wilhelm Thomé (1840–1925) whom I mentioned in the >> post on meadow buttercup. The illustration was published in the book Flora von Deutschland (1885).

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Last updated on 26th of September 2015.