Carpinus caroliniana Walter

American hornbeam, ironwood, musclewood

Similar species

	Ostrya virginiana	You are here Carpinus caroliniana
Common Name	Eastern hophornbeam	American hornbeam
Plant	Small tree, to 20–30′ (6.1–9.1 m). Bark reddish brown to gray brown, in loose strips.	Trees reach 33–49′ (10–15 m), and often have multiple stems. Bark is smooth, dark bluish gray, furrowed near the base in older trees. The trunks are often fluted with vertical depressions that look a little like rippling muscles.
Leaves	Unlobed, alternating, 1¾–5″ (5–13 cm) × 1½–2″ (4–6 cm), with double serrations on the edges. Tops are yellow-green, bottoms are pale green.	Dark green, alternate, 1–4½″ (3–12 cm) long, with prominent parallel veins and fine serrations or double serrations.
Flowers	Male catkins are ¾–1¾″ (2–5 cm) long; female catkins are ¼–½″ (8–15 mm) long	Female flowers are white; male are green—both occur on the same tree.
Fruit	Brown nuts 1/16–3/16″ (3–5 mm) long, in conelike drooping clusters enclosed in white papery sacs.	A small ribbed nut ¼–5/16″ (7–8 mm) long, surrounded by a three- to seven-pointed leaf group called an involucre, ¾–1″ (2–3 cm) long. The involucres occur in clusters, and remain on the tree after other leaves drop.
Range/ Zones	USDA Zones: 3-9	USDA Zones: 3-9
Habitats	River banks, swamp edges, flood plains, in fertile soil, both moist and dry	Rich wet soils such as floodplains, swamps, or mucks

Carpinus caroliniana description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.

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