Ostrya virginiana, the American hophornbeam, is a species of Ostrya native to eastern North America, from Nova Scotia west to southern Manitoba and eastern Wyoming, southeast to northern Florida and southwest to eastern Texas. The bark is brown to gray-brown, with narrow shaggy plates flaking off, while younger twigs and branches are smoother and gray, with small lenticels. Nelson Sutherland, C.H. Bark of the trunk of this tree is light brown in color. Alternate, simple deciduous leaves, 2 to 5 inches long and 1 to 3 inches wide. Pests No pests of this tree are usually serious. Bark is smooth, tight, thin, bluish gray, sometimes blotched, fluted into … Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of North Carolina. The Ironwood (American Hophornbeam) is a native, smaller tree many times found as an understory plant. Adding to its stubby appearance is its wide canopy which can spread to 20 feet. Bark Color - Grayish-brown, with narrow rectangular strips which are free on each end. It may be very noticeable For general undergraduate student information, contact Dr. Rick Durham at (859) 257-3249, or rdurham@uky.edu. Hornbeams are small trees with fine textured or “feathery” leaves, adding delight to any yard or garden. The hornbeam is a great tree to add to any landscape, as it's a medium size and resistant to most pests and diseases. American hophornbeam was introduced into the landscape in 1690. [5], Pollinated female flowers develop into small nutlets 3–5 mm (1⁄8–3⁄16 in) long fully enclosed in a papery sac-shaped involucre 10–18 mm (3⁄8–11⁄16 in) long and 8–10 mm (5⁄16–3⁄8 in) wide. Leaf or needle arrangement, size, shape, texture, and color. Leaves:Me… Hop Hornbeam Ostrya virginiana Hazelnut family (Corylaceae) Description: This medium-small tree is up to 50' tall; it has a finely branched rounded crown. Hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana) Hophornbeam is a fairly common understory tree, similar to the related American Hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana) but with rough bark and hop-like fruiting clusters. This deciduous, medium-sized tree matures to 40-60’ tall and 30-40’ wide at a growth rate of about 12-24” per year. Knowing the difference is a vital part of Minneapolis tree care. Who can I call? It is fractured into narrow scales, which are loose at their ends. Great for climbing. [7], American hophornbeam is similar to its close relative American hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana), which can be distinguished by its smooth bark and nutlets enclosed in open, three-lobed bracts. Bark: Bark Color: Dark Brown Light Brown Surface/Attachment: Scaly Shaggy Bark Description: Finely divided into thin scales that peel away from the trunk. 08 How can I sell my yard tree? Minnesota Trees with Naturally Peeling Bark … The American hornbeam is also occasionally known as blue-beech, ironwood, or musclewood, the first from the resemblance of the bark to that of the American beech Fagus grandifolia, the other two from the hardness of the wood and the muscled appearance of the trunk and limbs. Young American hophornbeam trees look a great deal like sweet birch (Betula lenta). Plant in groups as a screen or windbreak, or use as a specimen in a narrow yard or street side. The U.S. national champion is located near Grand Traverse, Mich., and is 74 feet tall with a 3-foot trunk. American hophornbeam should be transplanted balled- and-burlapped or from a container in early spring. Be sure to use them in naturalized areas. Can be purchased as a single or multi-trunked specimen. Leaves are simple, alternate, 2–5 inches long, 1–2 inches wide, with upper surface bluish green, dull; undersurface paler, mostly smooth, or with hairs in vein axils only, margins with small sharp teeth. WARNING: Some websites to which these materials provide links for the convenience of users are not managed by the University of Kentucky. It's an excellent tree for lawns, street trees, or parks. Hornbeam Varieties American hornbeams (Carpinus caroliniana) are by far the most popular of the hornbeams grown in the U.S. Another common name for this tree is blue beech, which comes from the blue-gray color of its bark. On mature trees, the bark of the trunk is rough-textured and greyish brown, dividing into narrow rectangular strips; this provides the trunk with a slightly shaggy appearance. The tree has light brown heartwood and thick, white sapwood. Uses The wood of hop hornbeam is hard and durable. Ornamental Landscaping Hophornbeam wood is very heavy, hard and strong, so durable that when metal was scarce this wood was used to make wheel rims and sleigh runners. 12 Who regulates the sale of firewood? Takes well to hard pruning as a formal hedge. Site design : Academic Web Pages. (2008). The bark is brown to gray-brown, with narrow shaggy plates flaking off, while younger twigs and branches are smoother and gray, with small lenticels. Fall color is yellow. The hoplike, green fruits are composed of many bladderlike scales, each bearing a small, flat nut. The smooth, gray, muscular-looking bark of American hornbeam is attractive year-round. University of Wisconsin – Green Bay. Its wood is very hard and is sometimes used to make tool handles. Eastern hop hornbeam, American Hop-hornbeam, Hop hornbeam, Ironwood, Leverwood, Ironwood Hornbeam Tree . Size and Light Requirements The hornbeam is a small, slow-growing tree reaching 20 feet […] American hophornbeam is a small deciduous understory tree growing to 18 m (59 ft) tall and 20–50 centimetres (8–20 in) trunk diameter. Other notable characteristics of the slow-growing Hornbeam include: 1. Copyright 2021, University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. Gray brown bark and trunk are ornamentally attractive, forming long vertical shredding strips. Ironwood (Ostrya virginiana) also called hop hornbeam, is a shade-loving tree of small size with a slender trunk and sparse foliage.It is found throughout Iowa from dry slopes and ridges to moist slopes in the shade of other hardwoods. An Equal Opportunity University. lasia Fernald. It is difficult to reestablish after transplanting. Hop-hornbeam, any of about seven species of ornamental trees constituting the genus Ostrya of the birch family (Betulaceae), native to Eurasia and North America.A hop-hornbeam has shaggy, scaling bark and thin, translucent, green leaves with hairy leafstalks. The bark of hop hornbeam is thin, reddish gray, with tight, narrow, platelike scales; some trees have loose, shreddy scales. Trees of Wisconsin. LEAF Winter Tree ID Key ©2014 www.leafprogram.org Winter Tree Identification Key Terminal Bud Vascular Bundle Scar Lateral Bud Leaf Scar Lenticel False Terminal Bud Note the part of the branch from last year’s growth that extends beyond the base of the bud. American beech is a good looking tree with tight, smooth and skin-like light gray bark. Finches, ruffed grouse and wild turkeys eat American hornbeam nutlets. Locate it close to people so they can enjoy the wonderful bark and foliage. 09 Can I cut firewood on a state forest? Multi-stemmed trees have a dramatic impact in the landscape with bright bark and wonderful form. Though they can grow to 2.5 feet in diameter and as much as 50 feet tall, hornbeam seldom reach more than 30 feet, and it’s rare to find a tree over a foot in diameter. Bark and structure make a nice addition to the winter landscape. The combination of trunk and bark should separate this tree from the American Hornbeam, with which it has shared … Similar Trees on the Florida 4-H Forest Ecology Contest List: Eastern hophornbeam can easily be confused with another member of the birch family, American hornbeam. Being a diffuse porous hardwood and having extremely high density and resistance to compression, it is an excellent material for the construction of wooden longbows. University of Connecticut. [8], The leaves are ovoid-acute, 5–13 cm (2–5 in) long and 4–6 cm (1 1⁄2–2 1⁄4 in) broad, pinnately veined, with a doubly serrated margin. It can also be grown in containers or root-control bags. The tree's tap root can be cut in the nursery to give it a root structure to better fit a specific location. N-318 Ag Sciences Center University of Kentucky Lexington, KY 40546-0091, Fax (Lexington): 859-257-2859       (Princeton): 270-365-2667, For questions about home gardening, landscaping or commercial horticulture production, please contact your county extension agent. They are very slow growing, but once re-established, will make excellent growth. Plants Database. Root System - Root spread is less than height, good for planting on boulevards with narrow berms. Old trunks are shaggy where the platelike ridges appear to be shedding. The bark and inner wood was used to treat toothache, sore muscles, coughs, and many other ailments by American Indians. Click here, then click on your county either on the map or from the list of counties below it. [5] The involucre changes from greenish-white to dull brown as the fruit matures. This tree is an understory tree associated with many hardwoods. The Hornbeam is hearty, but not very stately. In the wild, this tree provides shade for wildflowers and mosses. 06 How do I plant trees with a dibble bar? The tree's look is enhanced by its crooked trunk and pendulous, zig-zagging branches, which help attract wildlife. 11 What trees should I plant on my property? The university does not review, control or take responsibility for the contents of those sites. Medium to dark green leaves with doubly serrate leaf margins and a pointed leaf tip. Botanical Name. [7] The pistillate (female) catkins are 8–15 mm (5⁄16–19⁄32 in) long, containing 10–30 flowers each. Very young twigs are sparsely fuzzy to thickly hairy; the hairs (trichomes) drop off by the next year. Bark: The reddish-brown to gray-brown bark is rough. Deciduous. This tree has interesting reddish brown bark that is broken into narrow strips that are loose at both ends. Hornbeam wood is the hardest of any European trees. This gives the trunk a shredded look. 2. Hophornbeam is especially … 13 A nearby property owner is burning trash and the smoke is bothering us. Peeling bark is a normal feature of some species of trees. Espermatofitas: 1-1576. On mature stems, the bark is gray-brown and is broken into narrow, long, plate-like scales, which are free at the ends, giving the trunk a shredded appearance. Hophornbeam (, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ostrya_virginiana&oldid=982280091, Trees of the Great Lakes region (North America), Taxonbars with automatically added basionyms, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, A hophornbeam branch with the characteristic, This page was last edited on 7 October 2020, at 05:48. Not to be confused with hophornbeam, hornbeam or “musclewood” is so named because of its distinct bark – smooth, bluish-gray with a muscle-like surface. Ostrya virginiana American Hophornbeam is a small to medium-sized native shade tree with flaking bark that blends perfectly with the medium-green foliage. Habitat The hophornbeam grows on slopes and ridges, sometimes in bottomlands. This helps you determine whether a bud is a false terminal bud. [4] Populations from Mexico and Central America are also regarded as the same species, although some authors prefer to separate them as a distinct species, Ostrya guatemalensis. It is a native understory tree in forests in the Eastern half of the U.S. and southernmost Canada. The leaves turn an undistinguished yellow in autumn and often drop early. [5][7] Very young twigs are sparsely fuzzy to thickly hairy; the hairs (trichomes) drop off by the next year. It’s a common tree in the birch family, most easily recognized by its bark which has long, square-edged strips that peel upward. It is grown as an ornamental plant and is sometimes used as a street tree. Mature trees sport a dark gray bark and develop deep furrow s and ridges. An attractive, densely branched, columnar tree when young, aging into a stately, broad cone shape with handsome, fluted, gray bark. Read on to learn why some trees in Minneapolis have peeling bark. Ironwood’s official name is eastern hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana). Bark has a shreddy appearance reminiscent of shagbark hickory. It is well adapted to downtown city plantings provided soil drainage is good. [7], Male catkins hanging from the branches in spring (United States Botanic Garden), Two trees in winter with some dried leaves still hanging on their branches (marcescence), Populations along the Atlantic coast have slightly smaller leaves, and are sometimes separated as O. virginiana var. For undergraduate student information regarding the Sustainable Agriculture program, contact Dr. Krista Jacobsen at (859) 257-3921, or krista.jacobsen@uky.edu. It produces dark green summer leaves that turn a variegated orange in the fall. Jones Co., NC 7/18/2008. American hornbeam is a tall shrub or small tree, to 35 feet tall, with pendulous branches and a gray trunk that is fluted into musclelike ridges. The trunk is up to 2' across. The staminate (male) catkins are 2–5 cm (3⁄4–2 in) long,[5] and arranged in groups of 1–4. It is used for fence posts, fuel, and tool handles. [5][6], American hophornbeam is a small deciduous understory tree growing to 18 m (59 ft) tall and 20–50 centimetres (8–20 in) trunk diameter. SERNA/Guaymuras, Tegucigalpa, Honduras, 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T194540A2346581.en, World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, Southern Research Station (www.srs.fs.fed.us). 10 Can I move firewood from one Ohio county to another? Come winter, its blue-gray bark creates a beautiful contrast to the snow in northern climates. The Eastern Hophornbeam is a slow growing tree, and is often planted as an ornamental shade tree or as a street tree in city parks, because hophornbeam is so resistant to drought. Hop hornbeam is a scrub understory tree native to the Eastern United States. The compound leaves are 5 inches long but shorter usually, and the brown bark peels off the tree into large flat pieces. Two-lined chestnut borer may infest Hophornbeam. The Hop hornbeam features birch-like, oval to lance-shaped, sharply-serrated, dark yellowish-green leaves (to 5 inches long). As nouns the difference between hornbeam and hophornbeam is that hornbeam is a tree of the genus carpinus , having a smooth gray bark and a ridged trunk, the wood being white and very hard, common along the banks of streams in the united states while hophornbeam is any species of the genus ostrya , with exceptionally dense wood. Fall color is yellow. On adult and mature trees, the bark is grayish-brown colored and is broken into short, thin, vertical strips that are free at both closures. For graduate student information, contact Dr. Doug Archbold at 859-257-3352, or darchbol@uky.edu, American Hophornbeam - Ostrya virginianaBirch Family (Betulaceae). The strips can be seen to spiral around the trunk. Identifying Hop Hornbeam. Catálogo de las plantes vasculares de Honduras. Bark:Young trees feature smooth gray bark with light furrows. Like the American hornbeam, trunks have smooth gray bark and distinctive muscle-like fluting. The small tree is often categorized as a shrub and rarely grows taller than 30 feet. with little soil, Hophornbeam is quite tolerant of drought and needs little care once established. Hardiness: Zones 3 through 9 Ironwood Bark, Photo by Rebekah D. Wallace, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org [3] Other names include eastern hophornbeam, hardhack (in New England), ironwood, and leverwood. Bark color and texture. The bark on youthful trees is smooth, hard, chestnut brown colored, rapidly getting to be gray and rough (as seen in the picture). [7] Additionally, the nutlets and buds are eaten by birds, deer, and rabbits.[1]. Distinctive, dark green foliage turns yellow-orange in fall. [5][7], The flowers are catkins (spikes) produced in early spring at the same time as the new leaves appear. Hophornbeam has a shallow root system and will grow in most soils except those that are wet. American hophornbeam, which loves hilly areas, has papery capsules containing nuts that are eaten by a variety of wildlife including grouse, bobwhite, deer, pheasant, rabbit and turkey. American Hornbeam Hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana) is an attractive small tree that is common, but not abundant in its natural range. Environmental Requirements Soils Soil Texture - Prefers moist, fertile, well-drained rocky or It has many common names, the most common include: blue beech because of its very smooth gray bark, and musclewood referring to its muscle-like branches which are irregularly fluted. This site was last updated on February 18, 2021. But it’s a sign of disease or potential issues in others. Its wood is very resilient and is valued for making tool handles and fence posts. The upper surface is mostly hairless, while the lower surface is sparsely to moderately fuzzy (rarely densely hairy). Send mail to cgcass0@uky.edu with questions about this site. [5], The buds and catkins are important source of winter food for some birds, notably ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus).