American Hornbeam | Friends of the Louisiana State Arboretum The name hornbeam refers to the genuine strength of its wood — it is one of the hardest and strongest woods in North America. It's an excellent tree for lawns, street trees, or parks. Maybe that's why technical info is hard to come by. Like the American hornbeam, trunks have smooth gray bark and distinctive muscle-like fluting. 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. American hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana) is aka blue beach, muscle wood and ironwood. It has no insects, pests or diseases and the strong wood will not break in storms. If you find that you are refuelling the fire too often, hornbeam is … The Plants Database includes the following 2 subspecies of Carpinus caroliniana . Family: Betulaceae---the birch family Genus: Carpinus Species: caroliniana Common Name(s): Musclewood, American hornbeam, blue beech Mature Height: 20 to 35 feet (1) Mature Width: 20 to 35 feet (1) Maximum Circumference: 68 inches (11) Maximum DBH: 22 inches (11) Growth Rate: slow (1) Crown Form: oval to round (1) Lifespan: Up to 100 years (3) Also known as muscle wood and blue beach. I'll also be doing my first trunk chop (except for an Eastern Red Cedar which I won't count). When I get enough nervs to debark it. Nowadays, it’s mainly used for furniture, flooring and wood turning, but traditionally the wood was made into ox yokes which were used to join a … Carpinus caroliniana, the American hornbeam, is a small hardwood tree in the genus Carpinus.American hornbeam is also known as blue-beech, and musclewood.It is native to eastern North America, from Minnesota and southern Ontario east to Maine, and south to eastern Texas and northern Florida.It also grows in Canada (southwest Quebec and southeast Ontario). The American Hornbeam also known as The Musclewood is a short tree that is native to eastern North America. It is also referred to as "musclewood" because of the trunk's resemblance to muscles. The European hop-hornbeam (Ostrya carpinifolia) and the Japanese hop-hornbeam (O. japonica) may reach 21 m (70 feet); the other species are much smaller. Squirrels, rabbits, and beaver eat the seeds, wood, and bark. The wood is very hard and durable and has been important in the use of mallets, wagon wheels, tool handles, wedges, cogs, levers, butchers’ blocks and piano keys. American hornbeam, also known as musclewood or blue beech, is a small, slow-growing understory tree native to hardwood forests of the eastern US and Canada. Hornbeam timber is a pale, creamy white with a flecked grain. American hornbeam is also called musclewood because of the sinewy appearance of its smooth gray bark. Click below on a thumbnail map or name for subspecies profiles. Soon I hope to make some more bows of hornbeam, got one stave 0,9 SG. American hornbeam is planted in landscapes and naturalized areas. Hornbeam is a very dense and hard type of firewood, which in turn means that it burns very slowly. American Hornbeam Hornbeam ( Carpinus caroliniana ) is an attractive small tree that is common, but not abundant in its natural range. They are not often distinguished in technical documents and often erroneously interchanged. It is also very winter hardy (down to minus 40 degrees), but will grow well in warm areas too. virginiana (Marshall) Fernald, and the southern var. Extremely hard wood used for heavy applications. The small nuts are edible, but seldom used by humans. The American Hornbeam, or also known as the 'Ironwood', is a native, smaller tree many times found as an understory plant. In fall, the American hornbeam displays leaves of various colors, ranging from yellow to scarlet to reddish-purple. Hop hornbeam, Ostrya virginiana, has light brown shreddy bark and gets the hop hornbeam name from the cluster of overlapping seed pods which resemble a cone of fruits on a hop vine. Deer browse this tree's twigs and foliage. Buy this classic tree today! It gets another common name, muscle tree, from the sinewy texture of its gray, fluted, smooth trunk. The muscular look of the musclewood tree is matched by the strength of its wood. and other small, hard, wooden objects. It prefers deep, fertile, moist, acidic soil and grows best in partial shade, but will grow in full sun. American Hornbeam is also known as Ironwood, Blue Beech, and Musclewood. Carpinus caroliniana, commonly called American hornbeam, is a slow-growing, deciduous, small to medium-sized understory tree with an attractive globular form.It is native to Missouri where it is typically found in rich moist woods, valleys, ravine bottoms and rocky slopes along streams throughout the eastern and Ozark regions of the state (Steyermark). It is also called ironwood for its very dense timber. The European hornbeam (C. betulus) has a twisted trunk that branches profusely; the tree may grow to 20 m (65 feet).One variety bears normal and oaklike leaves on the same tree. I'm about to take my first American Hornbeam from the woods behind my house. Both of the two recognized varieties occur in NC, the northern var. It is not as well known in the UK as other similar wood species such as oak and beech, but it is a real top-quality firewood. Carpinus caroliniana ssp. The American Hornbeam is a short, stubby tree that can have one or more trunks, each a foot wide and aesthetically pleasing. Because the American hornbeam is most often found as a shrub or small tree, there is little interest in its use for timber. ... American Hornbeam 2016 - Duration: 5:03. Growing American Hornbeam Trees. 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 … Leaves are dark green and […] American hornbeam, Carpinus caroliniana has smooth grey bark which is often rippled like muscle, causing it to be called muscle-wood in some areas. Holly, American 4/4 lumber Hornbeam, European 8/4-12/4 flitch-sawn lumber Imbuya 4/4 lumber Ironwood,Desert logs & small billets, burls Ivory Nuts variety from Africa, S. America, India, & S. Pacific Jarrah Burl whole & slabs Jatoba 4/4 & 5/4 lumber Jelutong 6/4, 8/4, & 12/4 lumber check for availability Kabukalli 4/4 lumber Kingwood, Brazilian The bark is bluish-gray, thin, fairly smooth, and heavily fluted. The smooth, slate gray bark adds winter interest. It is extremely hard; in fact it has the hardest wood of any tree in Europe. Be sure to use them in naturalized areas. It has dark green leaves that change to yellow, orange and scarlet in fall. More than twice the height of American hornbeam, it is still a manageable size, but it grows incredibly slowly. The tree is perhaps best known for its smooth and sinewy steel-gray bark and the muscle-like look of its maturing trunk and larger branches (thus one of its common names). 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. American hornbeam is a small tree of bottomland understories. Landscapers generally prefer trees that show faster results. A great deal of the information Im finding on the Internet is that it checks badly. caroliniana.They are quite similar and many of the trees in the overlap range (such as in Durham County) are intergrades. The American Hornbeam will grow well in most types of soil, even in clay, a soil that can be hard to find plants for. The eastern, or American, hop-hornbeam (O. virginiana) is known as ironwood for its hard, heavy wood, used locally for fence posts and small articles such as tool handles. Native Introduced Native and Introduced. This deciduous, medium-sized tree matures to 40-60’ tall and 30-40’ wide at a growth rate of about 12-24” per year. Still, the wood is hard and tough and is used in making tool handles and small wooden articles. Reaching heights of 20-50 ft, this tree is known for being wider than it is tall. The wood is not subject to cracking or splitting and was used by American pioneers for bowls and dishes. Hornbeam wood is the hardest of any European trees. A North American native tree boasting a kaleidoscope of color, American hornbeam unfurls striking reddish purple leaves in spring. The leaves turn dark green in summer and then come ablaze with shades of yellow and orange-red in fall. The American hornbeam is a native forest understory tree in the Chicago area, making it useful for shady landscapes and naturalized or woodland gardens. It is also known as musclewood, because its bark resembles muscles, and ironwood, because its wood is heavy and hard. It is a small tree with a smooth, light colored, "muscled” bark and alternate, deciduous leaves. Carpinus caroliniana Walter – American hornbeam Subordinate Taxa. Unlike the Eastern Hophornbeam, the wood of the American Hornbeam decays rapidly when in contact with soil. American Hornbeam, usually called Ironwood in North Carolina, is a fairly common understory tree found mostly along streambanks. The American hornbeam (C. caroliniana) is also known as water beech and blue beech, the latter for its blue-gray bark.It seldom reaches 12 m, although some trees in the southern United States may grow to 18 m tall. Overall, Hornbeam is considered difficult to work on account of its density and toughness. This tree is at its best in winter, when the picturesque, sinewy blue-gray branches can be seen. Hornbeam's bark is so tight and if you try to steam it to easier debark immediatly after that- wood … The American hornbeam is nicknamed "ironwood" because of the strength of its wood. It has an irregular, wide spreading form that makes it a unique tree for the landscape. Noteworthy Characteristics. Senior Lecturer at Harper Adams University, Jim Waterson, explains how to identify Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus). Hornbeam growing conditions are found in all but the southernmost tips of the U.S., from U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 9. The Hornbeam is a member of the Birch family and has smooth, almost gray bark. Its common name “hornbeam” is a reference to its unusual strength, with “horn” denoting the horn-like toughness of its wood and “beam” being an Old English word for tree. I love the muscle look of this wood and want to retain that look for the canes and walking sticks. The American hop hornbeam tree has very hard and dense wood. This tree brings interest to the winter landscape, too, by displaying blue-gray bark with a slightly rippled appearance that earned the common name musclewood. Page 1 of 2 - Drying American Hornbeam - posted in All About Wood: Hello All, Ive just cut a few nice pieces of American Hornbeam that Im hoping to make in to walking sticks and or canes. It will grow in heavy shade and wet soils. Incredibly Hard, Useful Wood. The American Hornbeam is a slow growing, small tree that has a 'muscular' twist in the trunk. Also known as muscle wood and blue beach. It is frequently called iron wood but that name is shared by other species. However, this same density, coupled with its fine and even grain, make an excellent turning wood… New leaves emerge reddish-purple, changing to dark green, then turn yellow to orange-red in the fall, offering a kaleidoscope of color throughout the year. Eastern hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana) is aka ironwood. Also, it is planted as an ornamental, especially on wet sites. American hornbeams and European hornbeams were both planted early on in the Park's creation. Hornbeam Care. 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