American Hornbeam
Species name | Family: Betulaceae
submission: Jonathan Tauro
Identification:
Leaves—dull bluish-green surface, paler underside, alternate, simple, ovate-oblong, doubly serrate, glabrous
Twigs—slender, somewhat zigzag, muscular ridges, brown to gray
Flowers—monoecious, green catkins
Fruit—winged nutlet attached to 3-lobed bracts
Bark—smooth, tight, thin, and bluish-gray
Hover over one of the descriptions to see an example.
Natural History:
General description—A small, nearly shrubby tree reaching up to 25 feet tall with a rounded crown and a twisted trunk.
Natural distribution and habitat—Nova Scotia to Florida and west to Texas and Minnesota.
Conservation status—Least Concern (LC)
Uses—The wood has been used for tool handles, mallet heads, levers, and other small wooden objects. American pioneers used it for bowls and dishes, as it isn’t subject to cracking.
References:
- American hornbeam. American Hornbeam | Department of Horticulture. (n.d.). https://www.uky.edu/hort/American-Hornbeam.
- Carpinus caroliniana. Carpinus caroliniana (American Hornbeam, Blue Beech, Hornbeam, Ironwood, Musclewood, Muscle Wood, Water Beech) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. (n.d.). https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/carpinus-caroliniana/.
- Consider a Hornbeam. Piedmont Master Gardeners. (n.d.). https://piedmontmastergardeners.org/article/consider-a-hornbeam/
- Virginia tech dendrology. Virginia Tech Dendrology Fact Sheet. (n.d.). http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=17.
- Plant database entry for AMERICAN HORNBEAM (CarpicarolinianaIANA) with 34 images, one comment, and 27 DATA DETAILS. American Hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana)—Garden.org. (n.d.). https://garden.org/plants/view/75779/American-Hornbeam-Carpinus-caroliniana/.
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