Photo: Eric Hunt, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Hop Hornbeam
Ostrya virginiana
Also called ironwood, eastern hophornbeam.
A tough, shade-tolerant tree of dry upland woods with shreddy bark and hop-like seed clusters.
Wildlife valueDrought tolerantTolerates shade
- Type
- Medium tree
- Mature height
- 25–40 ft
- USDA zones
- 3–9
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Sun
- Full · Part · Shade
- Soil moisture
- Dry · Average
210
Hop hornbeam takes drought, shade, rocky soil and neglect, and grows into a small elm-like tree with fine texture and yellow fall color. Its hop-shaped seed bracts feed grouse and finches. Rarely offered because it is slow in the nursery, but exceptional in the landscape.
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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