Practical
Plants

Carpinus caroliniana

American Hornbeam

a perennial woody deciduous member of the Carpinus genus in the family Betulaceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
deciduous
Woodiness
woody
Growth rate
slow
Height
12 m
Spread
10 m
Fertility
Wind
Flower type
monoecious
Pollinators
Wind

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - cooked[2]. An emergency food, used when all else fails[5].

Plant part
Seed

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

American hornbeam was employed medicinally by some native North American Indian tribes, though it is not used in modern herbalism[11]. The inner bark is astringent[11]. An infusion has been used in the treatment of diarrhoea and difficult urination with discharge[11].

Product or use
Astringent

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Wood - heavy, close grained, very hard, strong, but not very durable in the soil. It weighs 45lb per cubic foot. Too small to be exploited commercially, this high quality wood is often used locally for flooring, cogs, tool handles, golf clubs etc[13][14][17][4][7][8][9][10]. It is especially suitable for making levers[4] and is also a good fuel[14].

Product or use
Wood

Ecology and functions

Ecosystem niche
Canopy, Secondary canopy

Environment

Range
Eastern N. America - Nova Scotia to Ontario, south to Florida and Texas.
Habitat
Usually found as an understorey tree in rich woods and the borders of streams and swamps in deep rich moist soils[12][17][9].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 5+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay, heavy clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline, very alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - best sown in an outdoors seedbed as soon as it is ripe[15]. Germination is usually good, though it may take 18 months[16]. If collected whilst still 'green' (after the seed is ripe but before it has dried fully on the plant) and sown immediately it should germinate in the following spring[16]. Grow the plants on for two years in the seedbed and then plant them out into their permanent positions in the winter. The average seed viability is around 65%[18]. Pre-treat stored seed with 4 weeks warm and 12 weeks cold stratification and sow in a cold frame[18]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a cold frame until they are at least 15cm tall before planting them into their permanent positions.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Thrives in any good loam, including chalk, it does not demand much light[1][3]. Prefers a deep open loam[1]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. A slow-growing and short-lived tree in the wild[9], it is slower growing than C. betulinus in cultivation[3]. Seed production is cyclic, a year of heavy yields being followed by 2 - 4 years of low yields[9].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  2. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

    ↩

  3. Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  4. Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  5. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩

  6. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

  7. Lauriault. J. Identification Guide to the Trees of Canada Fitzhenry and Whiteside, Ontario. 1989-00-00 ISBN 0889025649

    ↩

  8. Vines. R.A. Trees of North Texas University of Texas Press. 1982-00-00 ISBN 0292780206

    ↩

  9. Elias. T. The Complete Trees of N. America. Field Guide and Natural History. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. 1980-00-00 ISBN 0442238622

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  10. Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970-00-00 ISBN 0-486-22642-5

    ↩

  11. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

    ↩1↩2↩3

  12. Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950-00-00

    ↩

  13. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩

  14. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩1↩2

  15. Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948-00-00

    ↩

  16. McMillan-Browse. P. Hardy Woody Plants from Seed. Grower Books 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-901361-21-6

    ↩1↩2

  17. Sargent. C. S. Manual of the Trees of N. America. Dover Publications Inc. New York. 1965-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20278-X

    ↩1↩2

  18. Gordon. A. G. and Rowe. D. C. f. Seed Manual for Ornamental Trees and Shrubs.

    ↩1↩2

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