Carpinus caroliniana

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Common name: American hornbeam

Family: Betulaceae

Distribution: eastern North America

Habitat: streams and swamps

IUCN Red list: Least concern

Hardiness: Zone 3a -40 to -35 F

Life form: Deciduous tree

Usage: Ornamental shade tree

Comments: American hornbeam, is a slow-growing, deciduous, small to medium-sized understory tree with an attractive globular form. Typically grows 20-35' tall. This elegant, slow growing tree has attractive smooth gray bark and a fluted, crooked trunk with a distinctive muscle-like appearance. Flowers appear in spring in separate male and female catkins, with the female catkins giving way to distinctive clusters of winged nutlets. Serrated, elliptic-oval, dark green leaves often produce respectable shades of yellow, orange and red in fall.
Best grown in full sun or light to deep shade. It is not fussy about soil as long as it is well-drained and it will tolerate sandy and clay situations. Once established it is very drought tolerant.

Links: Great Plant Picks

1: 2400 s, 100 e (ST 2400,100) • Accession: 1952-3255/1
2: 2400 s, 100 e (ST 2400,100) • Accession: 1952-3257/1
3: 2400 s, 100 e (ST 2400,100) • Accession: 1952-3258/1
4: 2400 s, 100 e (ST 2400,100) • Accession: 1952-3259/1
5: 2400 s, 100 e (ST 2400,100) • Accession: 1952-3260/1
6: 2400 s, 100 e (ST 2400,100) • Accession: 1952-3261/1
7: 2400 s, 100 e (ST 2400,100) • Accession: 1952-3262/1
8: 2400 s, 100 e (ST 2400,100) • Accession: 1952-3264/1
9: 2900 s, 2200 e (ST 2900,2200) • Accession: 2003-299/1 • Origin: United States of America
10: 2900 s, 2200 e (ST 2900,2200) • Accession: 2003-435/1
11: Herbarium (HERB) • Accession: 1952-3262
12: Herbarium (HERB) • Accession: 2003-299 • Origin: United States of America
13: Herbarium (HERB) • Accession: 2003-435 (2)‎

Hoyt Arboretum, Portland, Oregon, USA

Plant Database

Taxon

Carpinus caroliniana

Locations