Carpinus betulus – Common Hornbeam, European Hornbeam.
Carpinus betulus – Common Hornbeam, European Hornbeam.
Another interesting and very useful tree for a variety of places. Large gardens, parks, reserves, estates, campuses and similar places can all benefit from the many options it can provide.
An excellent specimen tree growing eventually up to 25 metres high and about 20 metres across held proudly on dark grey, often fluted trunks and branches.
Flowers are of two forms long skinny male catkins up to 8 cm long. Female catkins about the same length but when pollinated produce a hanging cone shaped cluster of 3 lobed bracts and winged nuts. They are a little lighter in colour than the leaves but can be quite well camouflaged on the tree. They ripen in Autumn.
Its leaves are a mid to dark green with many strong veins giving the leave a corrugated look. Leaves are 5-10 cm long unevenly or double toothed along the edges. It has excellent autumn colour producing rich brown coloured leaves which stay on the tree through part of the winter.
There are two often grown forms/cultivars as well for various situations.
C. betulus ‘Columnaris’ which grows vertically to about 10 m and only 6 m wide.
C. betulus ‘Fastigata’ (syn Pyramidalis) erect tree quite narrow but does widen out with age.
Hilliers Manual of Trees and Shrubs lists other cultivars as well.
Carpinus is a genus of about 26 Species of hardy deciduous medium sized trees within the Betulaceae family found in the Northern Hemisphere in Asia Minor, Europe and UK.
Another interesting and very useful tree for a variety of places. Large gardens, parks, reserves, estates, campuses and similar places can all benefit from the many options it can provide.
An excellent specimen tree growing eventually up to 25 metres high and about 20 metres across held proudly on dark grey, often fluted trunks and branches.
Flowers are of two forms long skinny male catkins up to 8 cm long. Female catkins about the same length but when pollinated produce a hanging cone shaped cluster of 3 lobed bracts and winged nuts. They are a little lighter in colour than the leaves but can be quite well camouflaged on the tree. They ripen in Autumn.
Its leaves are a mid to dark green with many strong veins giving the leave a corrugated look. Leaves are 5-10 cm long unevenly or double toothed along the edges. It has excellent autumn colour producing rich brown coloured leaves which stay on the tree through part of the winter.
There are two often grown forms/cultivars as well for various situations.
C. betulus ‘Columnaris’ which grows vertically to about 10 m and only 6 m wide.
C. betulus ‘Fastigata’ (syn Pyramidalis) erect tree quite narrow but does widen out with age.
Hilliers Manual of Trees and Shrubs lists other cultivars as well.
Carpinus is a genus of about 26 Species of hardy deciduous medium sized trees within the Betulaceae family found in the Northern Hemisphere in Asia Minor, Europe and UK.