Ostrya virginiana

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American hophornbeam
Ostrya virginiana 2.jpg
A hophornbeam branch with the characteristic hop-resembling fruits [1] in early summer
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. virginiana
Binomial name
Ostrya virginiana
Ostrya virginiana range map.jpg
Generalized native range
Synonyms [3]
  • Carpinus virginianaMill.
  • Zugilus virginicaRaf.
  • Ostrya italica subsp. virginiana(Mill.) H.J.P.Winkl.
  • Carpinus virginicaMünchh.
  • Carpinus trifloraMoench
  • Ostrya virginica(Münchh.) Willd.
  • Ostrya americanaF.Michx.
  • Ostrya ostryaMacMill.
  • Ostrya baileyiRose
  • Ostrya guatemalensis (H.J.P.Winkl.) Rose
  • Ostrya mexicanaRose

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. [4] 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. [3] Other names include eastern hophornbeam, hardhack (in New England), ironwood, and leverwood. [5] [6]

Contents

Description

Ostrya virginiana (American hophornbeam) is a small deciduous understory tree growing to 18 m (59 ft) tall and 20–50 centimetres (8–20 in) trunk diameter. The bark is brown to gray-brown, with narrow shaggy plates flaking off, while younger twigs and branches are smoother and gray, with small lenticels. [5] [7] Very young twigs are sparsely fuzzy to thickly hairy; the hairs (trichomes) drop off by the next year. [8]

The leaves are ovoid-acute, 5–13 cm (2–5 in) long and 4–6 cm (1+122+14 in) broad, pinnately veined, with a doubly serrated margin. The upper surface is mostly hairless, while the lower surface is sparsely to moderately fuzzy (rarely densely hairy). [5] [7]

The flowers are catkins (spikes) produced in early spring at the same time as the new leaves appear. The staminate (male) catkins are 2–5 cm (34–2 in) long, [5] and arranged in groups of 14. [7] The pistillate (female) catkins are 8–15 mm (5161932 in) long, containing 10–30 flowers each. [5]

Pollinated female flowers develop into small nutlets 3–5 mm (18316 in) long fully enclosed in a papery sac-shaped involucre 10–18 mm (381116 in) long and 8–10 mm (51638 in) wide. [5] The involucre changes from greenish-white to dull brown as the fruit matures. [7]

American hophornbeam is similar to its close relative American hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana), which can be distinguished by its smooth bark and nutlets enclosed in open, three-lobed bracts. [7]

Subdivisions

There are two subspecies:

Populations along the Atlantic coast have slightly smaller leaves, and are sometimes separated as O. virginiana var. lasia Fernald. [5]

Habitat and ecology

In temperate areas of the US and Canada, Ostrya virginiana is found in lowland and foothill forests, where it is predominantly an understory tree. [2]

In Mexico and Central America, Ostrya virginiana is found in cloud forests and humid portions of mid-elevation oak, pine–oak, and pine forests between 1200 and 2800 meters elevation. [10]

The buds and catkins are important source of winter food for some birds, notably ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus). [7] Additionally, the nutlets and buds are eaten by birds, deer, and rabbits. [1]

Uses

It is not typically grown as an ornamental plant and is sometimes used as a street tree. [11]

Its wood is very resilient and is valued for making tool handles and fence posts. [12]

Being a diffuse porous hardwood and having extremely high density and resistance to compression, it is an excellent material for the construction of wooden longbows.

Related Research Articles

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<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>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>Hamamelis virginiana</i> Species of plant

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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

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

Ostrya knowltonii is a species of tree known by the common names Knowlton's hophornbeam, western hophornbeam, woolly hophornbeam, and wolf hophornbeam. It is also one of many trees called ironwood. It is native to Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas in the United States, but its distribution is localized and sporadic.

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

Medeola virginiana, known as Indian cucumber, cucumber root, or Indian cucumber-root, is an eastern North American plant species in the lily family, Liliaceae. It is the only currently recognized plant species in the genus Medeola. It grows in the understory of forests. The plant bears edible rhizomes that have a mild cucumber-like flavor.

Ostrya chisosensis, common name Big Bend hop-hornbeam or Chisos hop-hornbeam, is a plant species endemic to Texas. It is known only from the Chisos Mountains inside Big Bend National Park, in Brewster County, although related populations in northern Chihuahua have not been studied in detail and may be the same species. It grows along streambanks and on the walls of canyons.

References

  1. 1 2 Little, Elbert L. (1980). The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Eastern Region. New York: Knopf. p. 374. ISBN   0-394-50760-6.
  2. 1 2 Stritch, L.; Shaw, K.; Roy , S.; Wilson, B. (2014). "Ostrya virginiana". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2014: e.T194540A2346581. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T194540A2346581.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  3. 1 2 "Ostrya virginiana". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  4. "Ostrya virginiana". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Furlow, John J. (1997). "Ostrya virginiana". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). Vol. 3. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
  6. Nelson Sutherland, C.H. (2008). Catálogo de las plantes vasculares de Honduras. Espermatofitas: 1-1576. SERNA/Guaymuras, Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hilty, John (2020). "Hop Hornbeam (Ostrya virginiana)". Illinois Wildflowers.
  8. Chayka, Katy; Dziuk, Peter (2016). "Ostrya virginiana (Ironwood)". Minnesota Wildflowers.
  9. Whittemore, Alan. "Ostrya virginiana". Flora Mesoamericana. Missouri Botanical Garden via Tropicos.org.
  10. Mario González-Espinosa, Jorge A. Meave, Francisco G. Lorea-Hernández, Guillermo Ibarra-Manríquez and Adrian C. Newton, eds (2011). The Red List of Mexican Cloud Forest Trees. Fauna & Flora International, Cambridge, UK. 2011. ISBN   9781903703281
  11. "Ostrya virginiana (Mill". www.srs.fs.usda.gov. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
  12. "Ostrya virginiana (American Hop-hornbeam, Eastern Hop Hornbeam, Hop Hornbeam, Hop Horn Beam, Ironwood, Leverwood, Wooly Hop hornbeam) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox". plants.ces.ncsu.edu. Retrieved 2024-03-10.