Carpinus caroliniana Walt.

American Hornbeam

Modern name

Synonyms

C. americana Michx.

A small, bushy tree rarely 40 ft high, with a short, grey, fluted trunk; young shoots at first furnished with pale hairs. Leaves oval or ovate, 2 to 4 in. long, 1 to 2 in. wide; rounded or heart-shaped at the base, taper-pointed, sharply and often doubly toothed; covered with white silky hairs when quite young, becoming sparsely hairy above, downy on the midrib and vein-axils beneath; stalk 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 in. long, downy. Male catkins 1 to 11⁄2 in. long. Fruiting clusters about 3 in. long; the bracts three-lobed, 1 to 11⁄2 in. long; the middle lobe much the largest and nearly 1 in. wide, toothed (often on one side only).

Native of eastern N. America and Mexico; introduced in 1812. Although very similar to the European hornbeam it is not so fine a tree, growing more slowly and never attaining to so large a size. Its leaves turn a deeper, more orange-yellow, or even scarlet shade in autumn. In winter, the best distinction between the two species is afforded by the buds; these, in our native hornbeam, are slender and spindle-shaped, 1⁄4 in. or more long, and like small beech buds, but they are egg-shaped and only 1⁄8 in. long in the American one. The tallest example at Kew, planted in 1916, measures 40 × 21⁄2 ft (1967); there are four others of about the same age, averaging 30 × 2 ft.

From the Supplement (Vol. V)

The bracts of the fruiting catkins in this species bear some resemblance to those of C. betulus but are less symmetrical, the inner margin being less toothed than the outer, or even entire, and the lobe at the base on this side is smaller than on the outer side. It is probably more closely allied to the Japanese C. laxiflora than it is to C. betulus.

specimens: Kew, pl. 1916, 40 × 21⁄2 ft (1967); Westonbirt, Glos., in Clay Island, 42 × 21⁄2 ft (1980); Bodnant, Gwyn., above Pin Mill, 30 × 3 ft (1981).

Genus

Carpinus

Other species in the genus

Modern name

Some names used by Bean have now been superseded and are no longer familiar. To ensure that all plants can be easily found, under any name, we have cross-referenced to The Plant List, a collaboration between RBG Kew, Missouri Botanical Gardens and other organisations, which aims to provide a currently accepted name for any plant. Not all taxonomists will agree with all Plant List nomenclature, but it provides a baseline to compare names. For each species above, clicking on the Modern Name will link to the entry for that name on The Plant List website.