Scientific Name:
Ostrya virginiana
Pronunciation:
os-TREE-a vur-jin-ee-AY-nuh
Common Name:
American hophornbeam, ironwood
Family Name:
Betulaceae
Plant Type:
Tree - deciduous
Key ID Features:
Leaves alternate, ovate to elliptical, margins serrate; female catkins papery and cone-like; fruit with 10-20 nutlets per sac-like bract (involcre). Winter ID: twigs zigzag; strongly divergent winter buds, terminal absent, scales striate.
Habit:
Upright
Form:
Oval - horizontal, Round
Texture:
Medium - coarse
Mature Height:
15 - 22m
Mature Spread:
7 - 10m
Growth Rate:
Slow
Origin:
U.S. - northeast (Cape Breton to Ontario, Minnesota south to Florida)
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 3: (-40 to -34 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun, Part sun/part shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Well-drained
Water Use:
Low
Landscape Uses:
Accent plant, Native planting, Specimen plant, Street (boulevard tree), Summer interest, Winter interest
Additional Info:
Google. Compare to European hophornbeam (a smaller tree).
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible, Heavily veined, Pinnate venation
Surfaces:
Pubescent
Colour in Summer:
Dark-green, leaves hairy on midrid and between viens above
Colour in Fall:
Yellow
Shapes:
Elliptic, Ovate
Apices:
Acuminate
Bases:
Cordate, Rounded
Margins:
Double serrate
Inflorescence Type:
Catkin (ament)
Flower Morphology:
Monoecious plant
Number Of Petals:
0
Colour (petals):
Showy, Green-yellow, Brown
Flower Time at Peak:
Apr, Dec
Additional Info:
male catkins usually grouped n 3s, visible throughout winter; female flowers visible in April
Fruit Type:
Nut
Fruit Colour:
Green-yellow, Brown
Fruiting Time:
Oct
Additional Info:
Showy, Persistent, Nutlets 3-5mm enclosed in a papery involucre up to 2cm long x 1cm wide; caution when handling: hairs on fruits get stuck on fingers and skin
Bark or Stem Colour:
Dark Grey, Brown
Additional Info:
Bark broken into narrow longitudinal 'strips'
Leaf Bud Type:
Conical (long-pointed), Striate scales
Leaf Scar Shape:
Crescent shaped
Organ Modifications:
Ectomycorrhizae
Propagation:
Seed
Maintenance:
Low
Pest Susceptibility:
(Pest resistant, Disease resistant, Deer resistant, Drought tolerant)
