Hornbeamsare hardwood tree diagram in the familyBetulaceae ( birch)and the blossoming plant life genusCarpinus . The 30–40 specie of hornbeam occur across much of the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere , with the greatest phone number of mintage in East Asia , particularly China . Only one species is aboriginal to easterly North America , and two species are native to Europe . This clause will focus on the nativeAmerican hornbeam , Carpinus caroliniana , and on theEuropean species , common hornbeam , Carpinus betulus . A third native tree , American hop hornbeam , Ostrya virginiana , will also be described . It too is a member of the Betulaceae family unit , belonging to the genusOstrya , a genus of eight to ten small deciduous trees .
TheAmerican hop hornbeamis often confused with theAmerican hornbeam . Both trees are commonly calledironwood . Both areunderstorytrees and can arise in shade to fond - refinement , share a similar leaf shape , are known for having very hard Natalie Wood , distinctive barque , showy ament , and yellow - to - orange - to - carmine fall leaf coloring . The American hornbeam can tolerate besotted experimental condition , prefers shade ( although it can develop in sun ) , and is less drought tolerant ; the American hop hornbeam is more drouth tolerant , can not tolerate flooding condition , and can maturate in sunnier sites .
TheEuropean hornbeam , particularly the cultivar ‘ Fastigiata ’ , is often rule in U.S landscapes . It can be used as a tree , or firmly - pruned into a hedge . It shares standardized characteristics with the American hornbeam and the American hop hornbeam , such as leaf shape , very laborious wood , distinctive trunk , and showy catkins . However , the European hornbeam is bombastic at maturity date than either of the aboriginal species . Although it can rise in fond shade , it care full sun and is pretty drought tolerant .
Before I discourse the hornbeam in more detail , I will address the benefit of planting anativetree when situation atmospheric condition are favourable , and when the native tree satisfies planting objectives .
welfare OF NATIVE TREES
lease ’s assume we have decide to sum up a tree to our landscape painting , and we feel just about doing something that is beneficial for the environment and for descendants . We ’ve heard about the benefits of planting native trees . Do n’t all Tree offer some benefits and serve different use ? Perhaps we may simply prefer the ornamental charm of a foreign-born tree diagram .
The landscape can nurse many unlike type of plants , but it ’s significant to be aware of the particular benefit of native Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree so that , if we have an appropriate locating and planting objective , we mightpurposefullyselect a native tree . Doug Tallamy , source ofBringing Nature Home , describes native trees as animportant pillar in the interactive food for thought web , a food web of aboriginal plants and native insects that supports wildlife and ultimately , supports us . Because plant and insects in a particular region have evolved together , native insects search to those plant for food . When native plants are replaced with nonnative plants , insects do n’t have food and birds ca n’t feed their young . Wildlife is deprived of aboriginal plant solid food sources , insects , and birds .
There is an telling chart in the Tallamy book ( p. 147 ) that lists the top 20 native trees and woody plants that supportLepidoptera species(moths and butterflies ) . lepidopteron caterpillar are an significant nutrient source for birds course their young . hornbeam , the focus of this article , are not included on this top 20 list , but they are nevertheless an important native food source . genus Carpinus carolinianais include on Tallamy ’s list ofNative Plants with Wildlife Value and Desirable Landscaping Attributes for the Mid - Atlantic and Middle States(p . 294 ) .
AMERICAN HORNBEAM ( CARPINUS CAROLINIANA )
HABITAT
aboriginal to the easterly one-half of the United States , the American hornbeam is usually find in wooded areas as an understory tree in USDA hardiness zones 3 - 9 . It prefers deep , fecund , moist , acidic ground and grows good in fond shade , but will acquire in full sun . It does not do well in compacted soil . It is typically found along current , river banking concern , floodlight plains and bottomland , and is imbed in landscapes and in naturalized orbit . It grows with an attractive open habit in total shade , but becomes dense in full sun .
As take note in TreeBaltimore , Dr. Michael A. Dirr , expert on woody plants and prof of gardening at the University of Georgia , says this about the American hornbeam :
“ I have observe this species in many landscape office and conceive it is much more adaptable than ever given credit . It perform well even in areas inundated with water for several Day to a workweek or two once it is established . Although fairly drought - tolerant , it is probably best to offer even give trees with some irrigation during ironical magical spell in the south . ”
Its chief liabilities in refinement are a relatively slow growth charge per unit and trouble in transplantation due to its deep , spreading , lateral roots . American hornbeam is more unmanageable to transplant than European hornbeam .
CHARACTERISTICS
Its common name , musclewood , arrive from its attractive blue - gray barque , fluted with long , stringy ridges . The exceedingly hard woods of this tree diagram inspires another uncouth name , ironwood ( a name shared with the American hop hornbeam).As the name suggests , the forest will take a horn - like polish and was once used by former Americans to make bowl , tool handles , and ox yokes . commercial-grade habit of hornbeam wood is not practicable , however , due to the limited amount of wood that can be harvested per tree diagram .
The American hornbeam can be grown as a multi - stemmed shrub or as a undivided - stemmed tree diagram . It is more narrow and just than the European hornbeam . The American hornbeam acquire slowly , about 12 ” per year , touch an average height and spread of 20 - 30′ over a life span of 50 - 150 years . The largest American hornbeam on disk for the Southeast is 75 foundation !
The leaves are deciduous , alternate , and dim-witted with a sharp , twice - serrate border with larger teeth at the ends of vein . Leaves typically vary from 1 - 4 ” in length . downslope color can be beautiful , with yellows , orange and red . Although deciduous , hornbeams and hop hornbeam keep their dried leaves in wintertime . Marcescenceis the technical condition for plant part that shrivel up but do not fall off . It can refer to leaves , flowers , or fruit . The marcescent leave of absence of the American and European hornbeam , and the American hop hornbeam , bring home the bacon a dependable and secure home ground for garden wildlife during the cold time of year .
SEED PRODUCTION
The hornbeam ismonoecious : A industrial plant or plant species produce virile and female reproductive structures on the same works but on separate flowers . Male and female flush seem in fountain on separatecatkins(slim cylindrical flower clusters ) . The flowers are wind pollinated . The female ament are about four inches in distance , a bit longer than male counterparts , giving way to classifiable clusters of winged nutlets ( yield ) . Typically , there are 10–30 seminal fluid are on each seed catkin . suppurate in October , the nutlet is contain in a bract ( a modified or specialised leaf ) at the end of a stalk , providing forage for song birds and small mammals . In fall , the bracts change from light green to xanthous . Although seminal fluid are scatter by wind , they are mainly dispersed by birds .
The minimum seed - behave years of American hornbeam is 15 age . come production is greatest at 25 to 50 years and credibly ceases at about 75 years .
FOOD WWW
Seeds , buds , and ament are eaten by a number of songbird , ruffed grouse , ring - make out pheasants , bobwhite , turkey , fox , and grey squirrel . Cottontails , beaver , and clean - tailed cervid eat the leaves , branchlet , and larger root . American hornbeam is hard used by beaver , because the tree is readily available in distinctive opera hat habitat .
A multitude of insect coinage apply the American hornbeam as alarval nutrient reference . grant to theNative industrial plant Finder , for the Charlottesvillezip code 22901the American hornbeam is a host flora for 72 metal money of butterflies and moth , include the Io moth , eastern tiger swallowtail , walnut tree sphinx , luna moth , and polyphemus moth , to name a few . This database , based on the work of Doug Tallamy and patronize by the National Wildlife Federation , will provide caterpillar horde plant information on specific native plants allot to zip codes !
PESTS AND DISEASES
The American hornbeam exhibits no serious insect or disease problems . It present underground to verticillium wilt . Leaf topographic point , cankers , and twig blight are occasional disease problems . It may be susceptible to scales .
EUROPEAN HORNBEAM ( CARPINUS BETULUS )
The European hornbeam is native to Western Asia and central , easterly , and southern Europe , admit southern England . It grows in USDA hardiness zones 4 - 8 . It want a tender mood for good growth , and occurs only at elevations up to about 2,000 foot . It can grow in full Sunday to partial shade , in moist soil , either loamy or clay , and can tolerate extremely acidic to impersonal soil pH. The European hornbeam is more tolerant of drouth than is the American hornbeam .
Like the American hornbeam , luggage compartment have smooth gray barque and distinctive muscular tissue - like flute . Hornbeam wood is the hardest of any European tree diagram . This deciduous , medium - sized tree matures to 40 - 60 ’ tall and 30 - 40 ’ wide at a growth pace of about 12 - 24 ” per twelvemonth . When young , its shape is slightly pyramidic or oval , becoming broader and debauchee as the tree matures . It needs little pruning when grow as a tree , but responds well to heavy pruning if grow as a hedge . Its average life sentence span is 50 - 150 class .
today , the wood is mainly used for piece of furniture , flooring , and wood turning , but traditionally the wood was made into ox yokes . The Romans made chariot from hornbeam because of the military posture of the wood . A tonic made from hornbeam was say to relieve tiredness and exhaustion , and its leaves were used to break bleeding and to bring around wounds .
Leaves are simple , alternate , oblong , and doubly serrated , with prominent veins . leafage length is 2 - 5 ” ; leaf color is dark green change to an attractive yellowness to orange in surrender . Foliage is typically dense and becomes denser with more sun . The bark and bud are ornamental in winter .
The Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree is monoicous , as report in the section on the American hornbeam . The European hornbeam also form male and female catkin in early spring , with distaff ament being somewhat longer than the male and greenish in color ; male catkin are yellowish . The female ament take shape low , brownish , winged nutlet ( yield ) held in a bract . The nutlet maturate in October . Bracts change from loose green to yellow in fall .
Common hornbeam is the food for thought plant for caterpillar of many moth species , including the junky tree diagram tussock and the case - bearer moth . finch , chickadees , and belittled mammals feed the seed in fall .
European hornbeam is largely resistant to pest and disease , including verticillium wilting ( fungal disease ) . It may be susceptible to genus Armillaria ( bloodsucking kingdom Fungi ) , ascendant rot , and scales ( insects ) .
C. BETULUS‘FASTIGIATA ’
The cultivar ‘ Fastigiata ’ is much more plebeian in commerce than is the mintage . Sometimes calledUpright European hornbeam , it exhibit a narrow-minded , fastigiate form ( branches sloping upward ) in youthfulness , but bit by bit acquires a tear drop or oval - vase shape with age , typically maturing to 40 ’ magniloquent and 30 ’ astray . Ovate , toothed , bright intermediate fleeceable leaf ( to 4 ” long ) are uncontaminating and attractive throughout the growing season with little susceptibleness to foliar diseases . foliation turns yellow - orange in crepuscle . automobile trunk have unruffled gray bark and distinctive brawniness - similar flute .
AMERICAN HOP HORNBEAM ( OSTRYA VIRGINIANA )
As a member of the birch fellowship , Betulaceae , the American record hop hornbeam is related to the alder , birches , hornbeams , and Corylus avellana . It is commonly calledironwood , a name share with a act of other plants , include the American hornbeam .
aboriginal to easterly North America and Mexico , the American hop hornbeam grows in USDA hardiness zones 3 - 9 . Appropriate for shady location , it also does well in sun where it uprise a unspecific crown . It prefers damp , well - drain soil , and is tolerant of both acidic and alkaline soils . It can develop in clay , loam , or guts . Although it can tolerate drouth , it will not tolerate flooding . It can tolerate dry , gravelly grime in fond shade once make . The tree is difficult to transplant and is sluggish to establish .
The record hop hornbeam is a small- to average - sized understory tree with a in general rounded crown . The tree matures to a stature of 25 - 45 ’ and a width of 15 - 40 ’ . It grows about 24 ” annually , and live an average 50 - 150 geezerhood . Its coloured , yellowish - light-green leave ( to 5 ” long ) are alternate , oval , and doubly serrated , with prominent vena . The lateral leafage veins ofOstryaare fork , while those ofCarpinusare parallel and rarely fork . Leaves , which twist white-livered to red - Orange River in autumn , feel like felt . folio size is not undifferentiated , with those near the end of shaded branches hit up to 6″ in distance ; leaves higher in the crown or farther back on the branches are much smaller .
Often scattered with American hornbeam , the barque offers a point of distinction . The smooth sinewy blue - gray trunk of American hornbeam easily contrast with the shreddy , chocolate-brown , grooved bark of the American hop hornbeam . As the American record hop hornbeam matures , the shreddy barque develops into thin erect strips , only slightly tear up at the ends . Both untested and aged bark are gray - brownish in color .
The wood of hop hornbeam is tough and long-lasting . It was once used for runners on sled . The bark and internal wood was used to regale toothache , afflictive muscles , coughing , and many other ill by Native Americans .
Flowers are monoecious ( reddish - brown male efflorescence and greenish distaff flowers appear in separate catkins on the same Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree ) . Flowers are not especially showy , although the manful catkins are more prominent and are present throughout winter . Female catkins are followed by flag bunch of sack - like , seed - behave pods which , as the vulgar name suggests , resemble the true hop that are used in the output of beer . The with child photo at the top of the article shows very flamboyant catkins of the American hop hornbeam .
Several vertebrate creature rely on hop hornbeam as a rootage of nutrient . These species let in the ruffed grouse ( bud , catkins ) , downy peckerwood ( seeds ) , and purple finch ( seeds ) . Among mammals , the fox squirrel , red squirrel , woodland deer mouse , and lily-white - footed mouse eat the seeds and bud , while the white - tailed deer browses sparingly on the twigs and foliage . The caterpillars of several moth species provender on the foliage of hop hornbeam , including ironwood tree tubemaker moth and ironwood leafminer . Many other moth species are name in theMoth Table . There were zero termination in the Native Plant Finder according to null codes 22901 and 22903 . ( Database results are based on native flora that were historically present in a county based on range maps . Specific zip codes may not hold up a picky native plant . )
The tree is repellent to many disease and dirt ball problems , although it is susceptible to the gypsy moth . In the woods , it is one of the first tree to be defoliated by that cuss . When under stress , the tree is also susceptible to the chestnut bore bit . It is resistant to wind , ice , and most stresses of urban living , although it is notoriously sore to Strategic Arms Limitation Talks .
SUMMARY
Returning once again toBringing Nature Home ( in theAfterward),Doug Tallamy calls upon us to make our communities and our own landscape painting into spaces he calls , The Last Refuge , a position populated with the works and animals that evolved there . So although we may not choose toexclusivelyplant aboriginal trees , their inclusion body in our landscapes is an of import step in strengthening , or even reclaiming , biodiversity . To that end , the American hornbeam and the American hop hornbeam are less intimate native trees that might be great plus to your landscape painting . If you are interested in a prominent tree , or in a Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree that can be snip into a hedgerow , you might moot the European hornbeam . Evaluate your landscape for Sunday , moisture , and soil type . Consider your tree diagram choice for shape , size of it , and come down colour . influence your objectives for planting a tree . When you ’re quick to opt , perhaps you should sample something fresh – debate a hornbeam !
SOURCES
Bringing Nature Home(Tallamy , Douglas W. , 2007 )
Native Plant Finder , National Wildlife Federation , https://www.nwf.org/NativePlantFinder/About
American hornbeam , The Morton Arboretum , https://mortonarb.org / flora - and - protect / tree diagram - and - plants / american - hornbeam/
“ American Hornbeams Show the Upsides to Planting Native Trees , Omaha World Herald , https://www.omaha.com / eedition / sunup / articles / american - hornbeams - show - the - upsides - to - planting - aboriginal - Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree / article_b6dbad4f-3daf-5372 - a38c-39865a9db99f.html
“ Tree of the time of year : American Hornbeam , ” TreeBaltimore*,http://treebaltimore.org / Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree - of - the - time of year - american - hornbeam/#.Xh0wFoh7nX4*Baltimore ’s program for the coordination of all Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree planting by city agencies , non‑profit arrangement , neighborhood , and community associations .
” The Sinewy American Hornbeam , ” In Defense of Plants , http://www.indefenseofplants.com / blog/2024-12-27 / the - tendinous - american - hornbeam?rq = hornbeam
genus Carpinus caroliniana , Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder , https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org / PlantFinder / PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode = h540
University of Connecticut Plant Database , http://hort.uconn.edu / detail.php?pid=83
Carpinus caroliniana , USDA FEIS ( Fire Effects Information System , Index of Species Information
Plant Database , Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center , https://www.wildflower.org / plants / result.php?id_plant = OSVI
American Hornbeam , University of Kentucky , https://www.uky.edu / hort / American - Hornbeam
Musclewood or Ironwood , Ewell A. Stowell Arboretum , Whitehouse Nature Center , Albion College , https://campus.albion.edu / stowell - botanical garden / musclewood - or - ironwood/
SelecTree : Tree Detail , European Hornbeam , Calpoly Institute , Urban Forest Ecosystems Institute , https://selectree.calpoly.edu / tree - point / genus Carpinus - betulus
Hornbeam , Carpinus betulus , Woodland Trust , https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk / trees - Wood - and - wildlife / british - trees / a - z - of - british - tree diagram / hornbeam/
Plant Profiles , Chicago Botanic Garden , https://www.chicagobotanic.org / plantinfo / pp / j
American Hop Hornbeam , Ostrya virginiana , Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry , http://forestry.ohiodnr.gov / hophornbeam
Hop Hornbeam , Illinois Wildflowers , https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info / tree / plants / hop_hornbeam.htm
Featured Image , Ostrya virginianacatkins , Katja Schultz from Washington , DC , National Botanic Garden , Washington , DC , Creative Commons
