Ostrya carpinifolia

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European hop-hornbeam
Ostrya carpinifolia 3.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fagales
Family: Betulaceae
Genus: Ostrya
Species:
O. carpinifolia
Binomial name
Ostrya carpinifolia
Ostrya carpinifolia range.svg
Native range

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.

Contents

The specific epithet carpinifolia means "hornbeam-leaved", from carpinus , the Latin word for "hornbeam".

Common name

The name hophornbeam is derived from the ancient Greek name of a hard wood tree. [1]

Description

Ostrya carpinifolia is a broadleaf deciduous tree, that can reach up to 21 metres (69 ft). [2] It has a conical or irregular crown and a scaly, rough bark, and alternate and double-toothed birch-like leaves 3–10 cm long. The leaves are many-veined with 11-15 pairs and have a slightly hairy or smooth underside. [1]

The flowers are produced in spring, with male catkins 5–10 cm (2–4 in) long and female catkins 2–5 cm (34–2 in) long. The fruit form in pendulous clusters 3–8 cm (1+143+14 in) long with 6–20 seeds; each seed is a small nut 2–4 mm (116316 in) long, fully enclosed in a bladder-like involucre.

Distribution and habitat

Fruits of Ostrya carpinifolia - MHNT Ostrya carpinifolia MHNT.BOT.2004.0.156.jpg
Fruits of Ostrya carpinifoliaMHNT

Ostrya carpinifolia is found in Lebanon, Italy, France, Austria, Slovenia, Albania, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Greece, Bulgaria, southern Switzerland and Turkey. It has been cultivated in England since before 1724. [1]

It is found in the medium elevations, in southern Italy and Sicily, in the South Apennine mixed montane forests ecoregion of the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub Biome.

The wood of Ostrya carpinifolia Ostrya carpinifolia legno.jpg
The wood of Ostrya carpinifolia

Uses

The wood is very heavy and hard, and was historically used to fashion plane soles. Other uses have included in the manufacture of wooden cogs and gears. [1]

Ostrya are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species.

Related Research Articles

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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">Hornbeam</span> Genus of flowering plants

Hornbeams are hardwood trees in the plant genus Carpinus in the family Betulaceae. The 30–40 species occur across much of the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.

<i>Acer platanoides</i> Species of flowering plant in the soapberry family Sapindaceae

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<i>Quercus suber</i> Species of plant

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<i>Alnus glutinosa</i> Species of flowering plant in the birch family Betulaceae

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<i>Betula nigra</i> Species of birch

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<i>Salix caprea</i> Species of tree

Salix caprea, known as goat willow, pussy willow or great sallow, is a common species of willow native to Europe and western and central Asia.

<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>Pinus heldreichii</i> Species of conifer

Pinus heldreichii, the Bosnian pine or Heldreich's pine, is a species of pine native to mountainous areas of the Balkans and southern Italy.

<i>Pinus halepensis</i> Species of conifer

Pinus halepensis, commonly known as the Aleppo pine, also known as the Jerusalem pine, is a pine native to the Mediterranean region. It was officially named by the botanist Philip Miller in his 1768 book The Gardener's Dictionary; he probably never went to Aleppo but mentions seeing large specimens at Goodwood in the garden of the Duke of Richmond, which were transplanted in 1739.

<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>Alnus incana</i> Species of tree

Alnus incana, the grey alder, tag alder or speckled alder, is a species of multi-stemmed, shrubby tree in the birch family, with a wide range across the cooler parts of the Northern Hemisphere. Tolerant of wetter soils, it can slowly spread with runners and is a common sight in swamps and wetlands. It is easily distinguished by its small cones, speckled bark and broad leaves.

<i>Populus alba</i> Species of plant of the genus Populus

Populus alba, commonly called silver poplar, silverleaf poplar, or white poplar, is a species of poplar, most closely related to the aspens. It is native to a region spanning from the Atlas Mountains of Africa, through most of South and Central Europe, into Central Asia; it has been introduced to many temperate, moist regions worldwide. It grows in moist sites, often by watersides, in regions with hot summers and cold to mild winters.

<i>Alnus cordata</i> Species of plant

Alnus cordata, the Italian alder, is a tree or shrub species belonging to the family Betulaceae, and native to the southern Apennine Mountains and the north-eastern mountains of Corsica. It has been introduced in Sicily, Sardinia, and more recently in Central-Northern Italy, other European countries and extra-European countries, where it has become naturalised.

<i>Fagus orientalis</i> Species of beech

Fagus orientalis, commonly known as the Oriental beech, is a deciduous tree in the beech family Fagaceae. It is native to Eurasia, in Eastern Europe and Western Asia.

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

Carpinus caroliniana, the American hornbeam, is a small hardwood understory tree in the genus Carpinus. American hornbeam is also known as blue-beech, ironwood, musclewood and muscle beech. It is native to eastern North America, from Minnesota and southern Ontario east to Maine, and south to eastern Texas and northern Florida. It also grows in Canada. It occurs naturally in shaded areas with moist soil, particularly near the banks of streams or rivers, and is often a natural constituent understory species of the riverine and maritime forests of eastern temperate North America.

<i>Castanea pumila</i> Species of tree

Castanea pumila, commonly known as the Allegheny chinquapin, American chinquapin or dwarf chestnut, is a species of chestnut native to the southeastern United States. The native range is from Massachusetts and New York to Maryland and extreme southern New Jersey and southeast Pennsylvania south to central Florida, west to eastern Texas, and north to southern Missouri and Kentucky. The plant's habitat is dry sandy and rocky uplands and ridges mixed with oak and hickory to 1000 m elevation. It grows best on well-drained soils in full sun or partial shade.

<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.

<i>Populus tremula</i> Species of plant

Populus tremula is a species of poplar native to cool temperate regions of the Old World.

<i>Alnus alnobetula</i> Species of tree

Alnus alnobetula is a common tree widespread across much of Europe, Asia, and North America. Many sources refer to it as Alnus viridis, the green alder, but botanically this is considered an illegitimate name synonymous with Alnus alnobetula subsp. fruticosa.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Větvička, Václav. Lawrence, Eleanor (ed.). The Illustrated Book of Trees & Shrubs. Translated by Kuthan, Ivan; Kuthanová, Vlasta. Illustrated by Mašek, Jan. Octopus Books. p. 143. ISBN   0706420853.
  2. "hop-hornbeam". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 6 May 2024.