Hornbeam

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Hornbeam
Temporal range: 49.42–0  Ma
Carpinus foliage.jpg
European hornbeam foliage
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fagales
Family: Betulaceae
Subfamily: Coryloideae
Genus: Carpinus
L. (1753)
Synonyms [1]

DistegocarpusSiebold & Zucc. (1846)

Hornbeams are hardwood trees in the plant genus Carpinus in the family Betulaceae. Its species occur across much of the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.

Contents

Common names

The common English name hornbeam derives from the hardness of the woods (likened to horn) and the Old English beam, "tree" (cognate with Dutch Boom and German Baum).

The American hornbeam is also occasionally known as blue-beech, ironwood, or musclewood, the first from the resemblance of the bark to that of the American beech Fagus grandifolia, the other two from the hardness of the wood and the muscled appearance of the trunk and limbs.

The botanical name for the genus, Carpinus, is the original Latin name for the European species, although some etymologists derive it from the Celtic for a yoke. [2]

Description

European hornbeam in Germany, during May Carpinus betulus 001.JPG
European hornbeam in Germany, during May

Hornbeams are small, slow-growing, understory trees with a natural, rounded form growing 4.5–9 metres (15–30 feet) tall and wide; the exemplar species—the European hornbeam—reaches a maximum height of 32 m (105 ft). [3] :296

Leaves are deciduous, dark-green, alternate and simple with a coarsely-serrated margin, varying from 3 to 10 centimetres (1 to 4 inches) in length. In autumn, leaves turn various shades of yellow, orange and red. Hornbeam saplings, stressed trees, and the lower branches of mature trees may exhibit marcescence—where leaves wither with autumn but abscission (leafdrop) is delayed until spring. [4]

The smooth, gray trunk and larger branches of a mature tree exhibit a distinctive muscle-like fluting. [5]

As with other members of the birch family, hornbeam flowers are wind-pollinated pendulous catkins, produced in spring. Male and female flowers are on separate catkins, but on the same tree (monoecious). Female flowers give way to distinctive clusters of winged seeds that somewhat resemble the hops-like seeds of ironwood. [6]

The fruit is a small nut about 3–6 millimetres (1814 in) long, held in a leafy bract; the bract may be either trilobed or simple oval, and is slightly asymmetrical. The asymmetry of the seedwing makes it spin as it falls, improving wind dispersal. The shape of the wing is important in the identification of different hornbeam species. Typically, 10–30 seeds are on each seed catkin. [7] [8]

Taxonomy

Formerly some taxonomists segregated them with the genera Corylus (hazels) and Ostrya (hop-hornbeams) in a separate family, Corylaceae. Modern botanists place Carpinus in the subfamily Coryloideae of the family Betulaceae. [9] [10] Species of Carpinus are often grouped into two subgenera Carpinus subgenus Carpinus and Carpinus subgenus Distegicarpus.

Phylogentic analyses have shown that Ostrya likely evolved from a Carpinus ancestor somewhere in C. subg. Distegicarpus making Carpinus paraphyletic. The fossil record of the genus extends back to the Early Eocene, Ypresian of northwestern North America, with the species Carpinus perryae described from fossil fruits found in the Klondike Mountain Formation of Republic, Washington. [9]

Species

43 species are currently accepted. [11]

Distribution and habitat

The 43 species occur across much of the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere, with the greatest number of species in east Asia, particularly China. Only two species occur in Europe, only one in eastern North America, and one in Mesoamerica. [1] [16] [17] [18] [19] Carpinus betulus can be found in Europe, Turkey and Ukraine. [12]

Ecology

Hornbeam trunk 20140204Hainbuche Neulussheim3.jpg
Hornbeam trunk

Hornbeams are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species, including autumnal moth, common emerald, feathered thorn, walnut sphinx, Svensson's copper underwing, and winter moth (recorded on European hornbeam) as well as the Coleophora case-bearers C. currucipennella and C. ostryae. [20]

Uses

Hornbeams yield a very hard timber, giving rise to the name "ironwood". [21] Dried heartwood billets are nearly white and are suitable for decorative use. For general carpentry, hornbeam is rarely used, partly due to the difficulty of working it.

The wood is used to construct carving boards, tool handles, handplane soles, coach wheels, piano actions, shoe lasts, and other products where a very tough, hard wood is required.

The wood can also be used as gear pegs in simple machines, including traditional windmills. [21] It is sometimes coppiced to provide hardwood poles. It is also used in parquet flooring and for making chess pieces.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Betulaceae</span> Family of flowering plants comprising hazel and birch trees

Betulaceae, the birch family, includes six genera of deciduous nut-bearing trees and shrubs, including the birches, alders, hazels, hornbeams, hazel-hornbeam, and hop-hornbeams numbering a total of 167 species. They are mostly natives of the temperate Northern Hemisphere, with a few species reaching the Southern Hemisphere in the Andes in South America. Their typical flowers are catkins and often appear before leaves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hazel</span> Genus of trees

Hazels are plants of the genus Corylus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae, though some botanists split the hazels into a separate family Corylaceae. The fruit of the hazel is the hazelnut.

<i>Ostrya</i> Genus of trees

Ostrya is a genus of eight to 10 small deciduous trees belonging to the birch family Betulaceae. Common names include hop-hornbeam and hophornbeam. It may also be called ironwood, a name shared with a number of other plants.

<i>Carpinus betulus</i> Species of tree

Carpinus betulus, the European or common hornbeam, is a species of tree in the birch family Betulaceae, native to Western Asia and central, eastern, and southern Europe, including southern England. It requires a warm climate for good growth, and occurs only at elevations up to 1,000 metres (3,281 ft). It grows in mixed stands with oak, and in some areas beech, and is also a common tree in scree forests. Hornbeam was also known as yoke elm.

<i>Arisaema</i> Genus of plants

Arisaema is a large and diverse genus of the flowering plant family Araceae. The largest concentration of species is in China and Japan, with other species native to other parts of southern Asia as well as eastern and central Africa, Mexico and eastern North America. Asiatic species are often called cobra lilies, while western species are often called jack-in-the-pulpit; both names refer to the distinctive appearance of the flower, which consists of an erect central spadix rising from a spathe.

<i>Trachelospermum</i> Genus of plants

Trachelospermumstar jasmine, Confederate jasmine, is a genus of evergreen woody vines in the dogbane family Apocynaceae, first described as a genus in 1851. All species are native to southern and eastern Asia.

<i>Machilus</i> Genus of flowering plants

Machilus is a genus of flowering plants in the family Lauraceae. It is found in temperate, subtropical, and tropical forest, occurring in China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Indochina, the Indian subcontinent, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. It is sometimes included in the genus Persea, and currently includes about 100 species.

<i>Phoebe</i> (plant) Genus of flowering plants

Phoebe is a genus of evergreen trees and shrubs belonging to the Laurel family, Lauraceae. There are 75 accepted species in the genus, distributed in tropical and subtropical Asia and New Guinea. 35 species occur in China, of which 27 are endemic. The first description of the genus was of the type species P. lanceolata made in 1836 by Christian Gottfried Daniel Nees von Esenbeck in Systema Laurinarum, p. 98.

<i>Quercus variabilis</i> Species of oak tree

Quercus variabilis, the Chinese cork oak, is a species of oak in the section Quercus sect. Cerris, native to a wide area of eastern Asia in southern, central, and eastern China, Taiwan, Japan, and Korea.

<i>Ostrya virginiana</i> Species of tree

Ostrya virginiana, the American hophornbeam, is a species of Ostrya native to eastern North America, from Nova Scotia west to southern Manitoba and eastern Wyoming, southeast to northern Florida and southwest to eastern Texas. Populations from Mexico and Central America are also regarded as the same species, although some authors prefer to separate them as a distinct species, Ostrya guatemalensis. Other names include eastern hophornbeam, hardhack, ironwood, and leverwood.

Ostrya japonica, known as East Asian hophornbeam, or Japanese hop-hornbeam, is a species of tree in the Betulaceae family growing to 25 m tall. It is native to Japan, Korea and China. In China, it occurs in temperate forests of southern Gansu, Hebei, Henan, Hubei, and Shaanxi provinces at altitudes between 1,000–2,800 metres (3,300–9,200 ft). In Japan it is known as Asada (浅田).

<i>Ostrya carpinifolia</i> Species of tree

Ostrya carpinifolia, the European hop-hornbeam, is a tree in the family Betulaceae. It is the only species of the genus Ostrya that is native to Europe.

<i>Quercus aliena</i> Species of oak tree

Quercus aliena, the galcham oak or oriental white oak, is a species of oak in the family Fagaceae, in the white oak section Quercus.

<i>Carpinus japonica</i> Species of flowering plant

Carpinus japonica, the Japanese hornbeam, is a hornbeam endemic to Japan but cultivated elsewhere as an ornamental.

<i>Carpinus cordata</i> Species of flowering plant

Carpinus cordata is a species of flowering plant belonging to the family Betulaceae.

<i>Carpinus perryae</i> Extinct species of hornbeam

Carpinus perryae is an extinct species of hornbeam known from fossil fruits found in the Klondike Mountain Formation deposits of northern Washington state, dated to the early Eocene Ypresian stage. Based on described features, C. perryae is the oldest definite species in the genus Carpinus.

<i>Carpinus turczaninovii</i> Species of plant in the family Betulaceae

Carpinus turczaninovii, the Turczaninow hornbeam or Korean hornbeam, is a species of flowering plant in the family Betulaceae, native to central China, the Korean Peninsula, and central and southern Japan. It is a large shrub or small tree typically 15 to 20 ft tall and about 75% as wide, and is hardy to USDA zone 5b. It is available from commercial suppliers, and can handle very hard pruning.

<i>Carpinus laxiflora</i> Species of plant

Carpinus laxiflora, the aka-shide, loose-flower hornbeam, or loose-flowered hornbeam, is a species of flowering plant in the family Betulaceae, native to the Korean Peninsula, and Japan. A deciduous tree of mountain forests, and typically 10 to 15 m tall, it is used in bonsai, and rarely as a park or street tree. It is available from commercial suppliers. In addition to the rather rustic unimproved species, a weeping form called 'Pendula', and a sport with variegated leaves called 'Variegata' are available.

<i>Carpinus fangiana</i> Species of plant

Carpinus fangiana, the monkeytail hornbeam, is a species of flowering plant in the family Betulaceae. It is native to southern China; Sichuan, eastern Yunnan, northern Guangxi, and Guizhou. A tree reaching 20 m (66 ft), it is typically found in forested mountain valleys at elevations from 900 to 2,000 m. It is available from commercial suppliers.

References

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  5. "Carpinus caroliniana - Plant Finder". www.missouribotanicalgarden.org.
  6. Furlow, John J. (1990). "The Genera of Betulaceae in the Southeastern United States". Journal of the Arnold Arboretum. 71 (1): 1–67. doi: 10.5962/bhl.part.24925 . JSTOR   43782230.
  7. "Hornbeam, American (Musclewood) | Nebraska Forest Service". nfs.unl.edu.
  8. The complete encyclopedia of trees of the world : the ultimate reference and identification guide to more than 1300 of the most spectacular, best-loved and unusual trees around the globe, with 3000 specially commissioned illustrations, maps and photographs. Creative Media Partners, LLC. 10 September 2021. ISBN   978-1015282605.
  9. 1 2 Pigg, K.B.; Manchester, S.R.; Wehr, W.C. (2003). "Corylus, Carpinus, and Palaeocarpinus (Betulaceae) from the Middle Eocene Klondike Mountain and Allenby Formations of Northwestern North America". International Journal of Plant Sciences. 164 (5): 807–822. doi:10.1086/376816. S2CID   19802370.
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  16. Flora of China, Vol. 4 Page 289, 鹅耳枥属 e er li shu, Carpinus Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 2: 998. 1753.
  17. Flora of North America, Vol. 3, Hornbeam, Carpinus Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 2: 998. 1753; Gen. Pl. ed. 5, 432, 1754.
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  19. "2013 BONAP North American Plant Atlas. TaxonMaps". Biota of North America Program.
  20. Miscellaneous Publication. U.S. Department of Agriculture. 1972. p. 297.
  21. 1 2 Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine : Eichhorn, Markus; Haran, Brady (1 December 2011). "The Hornbeam's Heartbeat". test-tube.org.uk. University of Nottingham . Retrieved 30 December 2012.