Extension Forestry

American Hornbeam - Carpinus caroliniana

Leaves are alternate, simple, double-toothed with equal leafbase.

  The American hornbeam is also known as the blue beach. It is a   small, slow-growing, bushy tree with a spreading top of crooked or droopingbranches.  The  trunk is more or less angular and is usually crooked.  It is quite commonin eastern and central Iowa and is found mainly on moist slopes, along streamsor on deep, moist woodland soils.

The leaf is dull-green above, pale green below and has hairy tufts at the base of the veins.  It has depressed veins on the upper surface.  The fruit occurs in spike-like clusters in a three-lobed bract, with a small nutlet attached to the outside.  The leaf like bract may act as awing in aiding seed distribution by the wind.

Fluted or irregular ridges like muscles on the smooth bluish gray bark extend up and down on the trunk of the tree and quite definitely identify the tree as the American hornbeam.