Carpinus caroliniana
An American Betulaceae member that grows up to 12 meters tall with gray bark, very hard whitish wood, and leaves that are ovate to elliptic with doubly serrate margins, comprising two subspecies that intergrade along the Atlantic coast into the southern United States.
Common Names
American Hornbeam, Blue Beech, Musclewood, Ironwood, Water Beech
Summary
American hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana), also blue beech or musclewood, is a native eastern North American deciduous understory tree, it grows slowly to about 20 to 40 feet tall with a rounded to spreading form, often multi-stemmed, and features a smooth gray trunk with fluted, muscle-like ridges and pendulous, zig-zagging branches, leaves are ovate, 2 to 5 inches long with doubly serrate margins, and fall color ranges from yellow to orange-red; the bark is bluish-gray, providing year-round visual interest. Cultivation favors moist, fertile, well-drained soils with a pH range from acidic to neutral; it tolerates full sun to partial shade and is hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9, with tolerance for a range of moisture including occasional flooding. Establishment is slower and transplanting is best balled and burlapped; propagation is by seed (nutlets collected in late summer, sow fresh seeds or stratify 2 to 3 months at about 41 degrees Fahrenheit). Uses include ornamental understory plantings, naturalized areas, and wildlife habitat, as seeds, buds, and catkins provide food for birds and mammals, and the tree serves as a larval host for several butterfly species.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
240-360 inches
Spread
20-35 feet
Hardiness Zones
Zones 3-9
Sunlight Requirements
Ideally Full Sun to Partial Shade.
Soil Type
Moist, well-drained loam soil (slightly acidic to neutral pH)
Soil Drainage
Moist but well-drained soil.
Soil pH
4.0-7.4, Acidic to neutral soil
Bloom Color
Insignificant
Bloom Time
Spring
Foliage Color
Green, turning yellow, orange, and red in fall.
Fall Foliage Color
Orange, red, and yellow
Leaf Lifecycle
Deciduous
Growth Rate
Slow growth, about 1 foot per year
Seasons of Interest
Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.
Propagation Methods
Seeds, Softwood cuttings, Grafting, Root sprouts (root crown suckers), Stump sprouts
Attracts Wildlife
Attracts birds, attracts butterflies
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- Walter
- Publication
- Fl. Carol. : 236 (1788)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Fagales
- Family
- Betulaceae
- Genus
- Carpinus
Inferior Taxa
Carpinus caroliniana subsp. caroliniana Carpinus caroliniana subsp. virginiana