Scientific Name
Carpinus caroliniana
The American hornbeam, also called blue beech, musclewood or ironwood, is native to almost all the eastern half of the U.S. as a small to medium-sized understory tree. The tree gets its different names from its smooth, blue-gray bark, its muscular-looking trunk and its very tough wood. This hornbeam is very adaptable and cold hardy. It also does fine in all kinds of soil, in cities or in more natural situations. It is a shade-loving species but can be grown in a sunny location though perhaps at a slower rate. The jagged foliage in some ways resembles a cross between birch and elm, as it is part of the birch family of plants; the leaf veins are rather deep and give the leaves a ribbed look. The fruit is a dangling cluster of nutlets each held on a three-part bract, in a way resembling the wings of some maple fruits.
Generally, this species will mature around 25 feet in height. The Colorado champions have exceeded this, with the top two being 29 feet tall. The Regis tree is third on the list, currently measuring 22 feet tall. It lived for many years competing mightily with a large American elm to its west, which caused it to orient most of its growth to the east. Recently, the elm was trimmed a bit to lessen the competition, so it will be interesting to see how the hornbeam responds. As an understory tree, these are accustomed to exploiting the sunlight opportunities they can find even if the shape of the tree becomes lopsided.