HazelAaron Liston, CC BY 4.0
Hazel
Wych elm
Wych elm
Lookalikes

Hazel or wych elm?

Young, bushy wych elm has much the same rounded, hairy leaf, in the same woods and hedges.

The quickest check

The quickest check is the base of the leaf. Hazel: even either side, rounded or heart-shaped. Wych elm: lopsided, one side well below the other. No leaves on the tree? Check the winter bud.

At a glance

Look atHazelWych elm
Base of the leafEven either side, rounded or heart-shapedLopsided, one side well below the other
Winter budFat, green and oval, with a blunt tipBroad, squat and dark purple
FruitNut in a ragged leafy huskFlat papery disc, seed dead centre
Whole plantA rounded bush of many stems from one baseA billowing dome on a short forked trunk

Four ways to tell them apart

Base of the leafLeaves
Hazel: base of the leaf
HazelEven either side, rounded or heart-shaped
Wych elm: base of the leafRosy Thomson, CC BY 4.0
Wych elmLopsided, one side well below the other
Winter budTwigs and buds
Hazel: winter bud
HazelFat, green and oval, with a blunt tip
Wych elm: winter budTom Norton, CC BY 4.0
Wych elmBroad, squat and dark purple
FruitNuts
Hazel: fruitDavid Ashcroft, CC BY 4.0
HazelNut in a ragged leafy husk
Wych elm: fruitScott Shanks, CC BY 4.0
Wych elmFlat papery disc, seed dead centre
Whole plantShape
Hazel: whole plantAaron Liston, CC BY 4.0
HazelA rounded bush of many stems from one base
Wych elm: whole plant
Wych elmA billowing dome on a short forked trunk
Think you can tell them apart now? Try the tree quiz: real photographs, and what gives each tree away.Take the quiz

The two trees

Hazel

Corylus avellana

Hazel is a shrub or small tree with many stems rising from the ground, common in hedges and woods. Its soft leaves are nearly round and end in a sudden sharp point.

How to identify hazel →

Wych elm

Ulmus glabra

Wych elm has big leaves up to 18 cm long, rough as sandpaper on top and almost stalkless. In spring its twigs are crowded with flat, winged seeds.

How to identify wych elm →

Their other lookalikes

HazelAlderHazel or alder?Quickest check: the tip of a leafHazelCommon beechHazel or common beech?Quickest check: the tip of a leafHazelHornbeamHazel or hornbeam?Quickest check: what holds each nutWych elmHornbeamWych elm or hornbeam?Quickest check: the older trunk
In the app

See them side by side in Treely

  • Both trees, part by partLeaves, bark, buds, flowers and fruit, photographed through the year
  • Every lookalike side by sideThe checks that settle it, for every pair people mix up
  • A short round each dayUntil you can tell them apart at a glance
  • The full GuideBoth trees written up in full, with where to find them
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Every fact on this page is checked against the Collins Tree Guide, last in November 2026. Spotted something that looks wrong in front of a real tree? Tell us. How we check.

Photographs: Aaron Liston (CC BY 4.0), steve_mcwilliam (CC0), Rosy Thomson (CC BY 4.0), empressmoth (CC0), Tom Norton (CC BY 4.0), David Ashcroft (CC BY 4.0), Scott Shanks (CC BY 4.0). With thanks to everyone who shares their photographs on iNaturalist and Wikimedia Commons.