Reply; Nina Jillaine February 23, 2018, 4:40 am. It is a medium sized tree with mature trees reaching heights of 10-16 m (30-52 ft) and developing a trunk 15-30 cm (6-12 in) in diameter. They are stringy, fibrous and are very easy to rub off. Blue beech’s official name is American hornbeam without the “hop.” Not sure about that exact species but I have worked with quite a bit of Eastern Hop Hornbeam (Ostrya virginiana) here in Minnesota and they look to be closely related. Each tree has at some time been called by the common name of the other. long (12 cm), turns a lovely yellow in the fall. 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. Solitary pistillate inflorescences first appear with the beginning of leaf development, and full bloom occurs about a month later. Photo courtesy of Minnesota Seasons (http://minnesotaseasons.com/Plants/ironwood.html). The nuts are enclosed in inflated sacs that provides buoyancy and improved dispersal by the wind. Hop Hornbeam Wood Hop hornbeam, locally called ironwood, is a small tree, hard and tough. They make lovely shade trees and their seedpods are of horticultural interest, but some foresters consider the tree a “weed tree.” Issues: Hop horbeam does not have any major pests associated with it. To foresters, they’re considered a “weed tree” that outcompetes more profitable tree species. The tree has fruit that resembles hops and the wood has been used to make tool handles and yoke beams for oxen, hence the name hop hornbeam.I obtained a burl of hop hornbeam from the UP of Michigan. The leaves of Ostrya virginiana are simple, alternate and doubly-toothed. In picture 1426, I'm getting set to split the rounds I moved out of our shoulder season stacking area (picture 1429) the rest of the pictures are from moving the rounds and the splitting I … It is a medium sized tree with mature trees reaching heights of 10-16 m (30-52 ft) and developing a trunk 15-30 cm (6-12 in) in diameter. In the southeast, flowering occurs in the first two weeks of April, and in the north, between mid-May and mid-June (so unfortunately, we were not able to capture it in person). It makes good tool handles and if I get hold of some I use it for wooden spoons, but it is not very plentiful. The name Ironwood refers to the great strength of the wood which was highly prized for tool handles etc. References: http://minnesotaseasons.com/Plants/ironwood.html, The branches of the Eastern Ironwood are long, slender, and spreading, while the twigs are slender, reddish brown, hairy, and they zigzag outward from the tree. The bark and inner wood was used to treat toothache, sore muscles, coughs, and many other ailments by American Indians. A lovely shade tree suitable for most settings, American hornbeams are compact trees that fit the scale of the average home landscape perfectly. Both trees are commonly called ironwood . The bark of hop hornbeam is thin, reddish gray, with tight, narrow, platelike scales; some trees have loose, shreddy scales. The largest tree in North Dakota is 33 feet tall with a canopy spread of 34 feet. Hop hornbeam gets its name from its fruits, which are enclosed in scales that loosely resemble the hops used in making beer (Humulus lupulus). Leaves and Buds Name – Ostrya carpinifolia Family – Betulaceae Type – tree Height – 32 to 65 feet (10 to 20 meters) Exposure – full sun Soil – ordinary Foliage – deciduous Flowering – April-May. Depending on where you live Blue Beech, American Hophornbeam, Eastern Hophornbeam and even Musclewood (due to its twisted trunk and resemblance to a muscle) are names given to describe "Ironwood" which makes identifying the tree somewhat confusing. Hickory - Hop Hornbeam Forests/ Woodlands are open communiies dominated by various hickory species with signiicant hop hornbeam in the subcanopy; This community is characterized by a sparse shrub layer, and a nearly coninuous cover of grasses and sedges; This site was last updated on December 18, 2020. Male inflorescences are dense, drooping, 2-5 cm long catkins in groups of 2 or 3 at the ends of the twigs. This small, short-lived tree is common in the understorey of rich, moist woods. The American hop hornbeam is often confused with the American hornbeam. HOP HORNBEAM (Ostrya virginiana) Medicine: Chippewa used the wood at the heart of the branch in making a cough syrup, and in a medicine for kidney disorders. The name is instead given for the wood’s … Color is nearly white. This wood is excellent for making bows, furniture, or anything else that you want to last forever. Page 1 of 2 1 2 Next > Wrad. The fruits develop during the summer and are ripe by the end of August in the midwest and as late as October in the south. These native American shade trees grow from Canada to Florida (zone 3 -9) as a very cold hardy tree and are also called: Eastern Ironwood trees, because hophornbeam has such a dense, strong wood that is excellent to use in tool handles and fence posts. References: http://minnesotaseasons.com/Plants/ironwood.html. The Ironwood (American Hophornbeam) is a native, smaller tree many times found as an understory plant. The hop-hornbeam in the Outdoor Learning Lab contributes to the overall beauty in the landscape but it also provides food and shelter for many different species of animals. In the winter they are short, stiff, and erect. There are too many multiple trunks to accurately measure the DBH, so this is just an estimate, The bark on youthful trees is smooth, hard, chestnut brown colored, rapidly getting to be gray and rough (as seen in the picture). It is smaller than many other trees and usually does not reach the canopy. The wood of this tree is strong and hard. “Horn beam” means hard wood. The top side are yellow-green and hairless, and the bottom side is the same color but soft and hairy to the touch. The trees are rather small with a 10” trunk being good sized, so lumber is smaller pieces. The tree has 3 trunks, arising from the main trunk at 17.5 cm, probably after coppicing. Lilac Wood The wood of the lilac bush is very hard and strong. For undergraduate student information regarding the Sustainable Agriculture program, contact Dr. Krista Jacobsen at (859) 257-3921, or krista.jacobsen@uky.edu. The American hop hornbeam is often confused with the American hornbeam. Notes:The name hop-hornbeam comes from the fact that the clusters of flowers and fruit resemble the hops used to make beer. Wood pieces covered 6.2% of the forest floor at Porcupine and 4.4% at both Sylvania and Huron. On adult and mature trees, the bark is grayish-brown colored and is broken into short, thin, vertical strips that are free at both closures. Ironwood is a tough understory tree with beautiful birch-like leaves, grayish-brown flaky bark, fine-textured drooping branches, and attractive hop-like fruits. It can also be grown in containers or root-control bags. Building A Firewood Shed Generally speaking an average tree would be about 4" - 6" in diameter and a very large tree would be around 8" - 10" in diameter and they grow to a maximum height of 40 feet. The Eastern Ironwood, known also as the American Hophornbeam, Eastern Hop-hornbeam, Hophornbeam, Ironwood, or Leverwood, stretches over much of the Eastern United States with its attractive foliage and bell-like inflorescences. The fruits of the Eastern Ironwood are small, flattened nuts, which are clustered inside egg-shaped papery sacs that resemble hops (indeed, another common name for the tree is the hop-hornbeam). Trees begin to be fruitful at age 25. Description American hophornbeam is a small deciduous understory tree growing to 18 m (59 ft) tall and 20–50 centimetres (8–20 in) trunk diameter. It is indeed a very hard, heavy and stiff wood. 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