Photo: Agnieszka Kwiecień, Nova, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
American Hornbeam (Musclewood)
Carpinus caroliniana
Also called musclewood, ironwood, blue beech.
Smooth, sinewy gray trunks, orange-red fall color and complete comfort in shade and damp soil.
Fall colorWildlife valueTolerates shadeTolerates wet soil
- Type
- Small tree
- Mature height
- 20–35 ft
- USDA zones
- 3–9
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Sun
- Part · Shade · Full
- Soil moisture
- Average · Wet
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Hornbeam is the understory tree of stream bottoms, with fluted bark that looks like flexed muscle. It grows slowly into a broad, low crown, tolerates flooding and deep shade, and its hard wood earned the name ironwood. Perfect under tall oaks or along a wet property line.
Heights and zones are typical ranges for the species in cultivation; local conditions and seed source shift them. Estimate growth for this species →
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