Scientific Name:
Carpinus betulus
Pronunciation:
kar-PINE-us BET-yoo-lus
Common Name:
European hornbeam
Family Name:
Betulaceae
Plant Type:
Tree - deciduous
Key ID Features:
Leaves alternate, most blades elliptic, 6-9(-12)cm long x 2-4cm wide, 11-13 pairs of veins run parallel off the midrib, margins toothed and double serrate. Winter ID: twigs zigzag, red-brown with prominent tan lenticels; buds appressed, scaly, reddish brown, pubsecent, 6-11mm long.
Habit:
Fastigiate, Stiffly upright, Twiggy
Form:
Oval - vertical, Pyramidal - narrowly, Round
Texture:
Medium
Mature Height:
22 - 30m
Mature Spread:
15 - 25m
Growth Rate:
Slow
Origin:
Central / west Asia, Europe
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 5: (-29 to -23 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun
Soil/Growing Medium:
Well-drained
Water Use:
Moderate
Landscape Uses:
Group or mass planting, Hedge row, Screening, Street (boulevard tree)
Additional Info:
Google. Cultivars shown or on campus include C. 'Fastigiata'.
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible, Heavily veined, Pinnate venation
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Colour in Fall:
Yellow
Shapes:
Elliptic, Ovate
Apices:
Acuminate, Acute
Bases:
Oblique (uneven), Rounded
Margins:
Double serrate
Inflorescence Type:
Catkin (ament)
Flower Morphology:
Monoecious plant
Number Of Petals:
0
Colour (petals):
Green-yellow
Flower Scent:
None
Flower Time at Peak:
Apr, May
Additional Info:
Yellowish male catkins 2-4cm long; greenish female catkins 6-8cm long
Fruit Type:
Nut
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
Sep, Oct
Additional Info:
Not showy, Nutlets 6-8 mm long with three-lobed leaf-like involucre 3-4 cm long; in drooping clusters 11-13cm long
Bark Morphology:
Smooth
Bark or Stem Colour:
Grey, Dark Grey
Leaf Bud Type:
Narrowly conical
Leaf Scar Shape:
Half-round
Organ Modifications:
Ectomycorrhizae, Leaf-like bracts
Propagation:
Cuttings
Maintenance:
Low
Pest Susceptibility:
Heteroptera - true bugs, Leafhopper or spittlebug (Pest resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant)
Course(s):
- AARB 1012
- HORT 1155
Location(s):
- (BCE) Boulevard (Circular) Eastend : 71
- (TFL) Turf Field Lab
- (TFLN) Turf Field Lab North : cv. fastigiata