Botanical Name:

Ostrya virginiana

Common Name:

hophornbeam, American hophornbeam, ironwood

Family Name:

Betulaceae – birch family

General Description:

Ostrya virginiana is a native tree commonly found in woodlands of the Chicago area and eastern United States. It typically grows as an understory tree in dry upland woods. However, it can also be found in somewhat rich moist woods where it mingles with another native species, Carpinus caroliniana, American hornbeam. Although these two species briefly share habitat, Carpinus caroliniana grows primarily in moist, even wet sites while Ostrya virginiana is predominate in a drier habitat. In the landscape, Ostrya virginiana is a small to intermediate size tree that is tolerant of a wide range of soil and moisture conditions though it does best in moist, well-drained soils in full to part sun.

Zone:

3-9

Resources Consulted:

Dirr, Michael A. Manual of Woody Landscape Plants: Their Identification, Ornamental Characteristics, Culture, Propagation and Uses. Champaign: Stipes, 2009. Print.

"The PLANTS Database." USDA, NRCS. National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA, 2014. Web. 17 Mar. 2014.

Swink, Floyd, and Gerould Wilhelm. Plants of the Chicago Region. Indianapolis: Indiana Academy of Science, 1994. Print.

Creator:

Julia Fitzpatrick-Cooper, Professor, College of DuPage

Creation Date:

2014

Keywords/Tags:

Betulaceae, Ostrya virginiana, hophornbeam, American hophornbeam, ironwood, tree, deciduous

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