Ostrya virginiana (Mill.) K. Koch var. virginiana
Ostrya virginiana (Mill.) K. Koch
Eastern hophornbeam, ironwood, hophornbeam, hop-hornbeam
The “hop” in hophornbeam comes from the resemblance between its fruits and those of hops. Hophornbeam and hornbeam are both named for their extremely durable wood, the only woods strong enough to make yokes for oxen, but they have little else in common and are not related.
Plants: Trees are 20–30′ (6.1–9.1 m) in height, with loose strips of peeling bark that is reddish- to gray-brown.
Leaves: Unlobed, alternate, 1¾–5 ⨉ 1½–2″ (5–13 ⨉ 4–6 cm), with double serrations on the edges. Leaf tops are yellow-green, bottoms pale green.
Flowers: Catkins, narrow drooping structures. Male catkins are ¾–1¾″ (2–5 cm) long; female catkins are ¼–½″ (8–15 mm) long.
Fruits: Brown nuts 1/16–3/16″ (3–5 mm) long, in conelike drooping clusters enclosed in white papery sacs.
Habitats: River banks, swamp edges, flood plains, in fertile soil, both moist and dry.
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Hornbeam vs. the unrelated hophornbeam. |
Online References:
Ostrya virginiana (Mill.) K. Koch var. lasia Fernald
Ostrya virginiana (Mill.) K. Koch var. virginiana
Ostrya virginiana (Mill.) K. Koch var. virginiana
6/22/2017 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm) 
5/23/2024 · Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay, Maine 
6/12/2023 · Viles Arboretum, Augusta, Maine 
7/24/2023 · Tarbox Preserve, Topsham, Maine 
1/1/2012 · Big Tree Trail • Tudor Richards Natural History and Forest Trail, Hollis, New Hampshire 
6/22/2017 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 8 × 5″ (20 × 13 cm) 
6/12/2023 · Viles Arboretum, Augusta, Maine 
7/24/2023 · Tarbox Preserve, Topsham, Maine 
5/23/2024 · Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay, Maine 
6/22/2017 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts 
7/7/2025 · Woodward Point Preserve, Brunswick, Maine · ≈ 16 × 12″ (41 × 29 cm) 
6/22/2017 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 8 × 12″ (20 × 31 cm) 
6/12/2023 · Viles Arboretum, Augusta, Maine 
6/12/2023 · Viles Arboretum, Augusta, Maine 
7/24/2023 · Tarbox Preserve, Topsham, Maine 
1/1/2012 · Big Tree Trail • Tudor Richards Natural History and Forest Trail, Hollis, New Hampshire 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Rosidae | Roses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more |
| Order | Fagales | Birch, she-oak, beech, walnut, bayberry, others |
| Family | Betulaceae | Birch family: birches, alders, hazels, hornbeams and hop-hornbeams |
| Genus | Ostrya | From the Greek word ostrua, “bone-like,” referring to the very hard wood |
| Species | virginiana | “From Virginia” |
Ostrya virginiana description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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