Scientific Name: Ostrya virginiana
Common Name: American hophornbeam, ironwood
Family Name: Betulaceae
Origin: U.S. - northeast
Hardiness Zone: Zone 3: (-40 to -34 °C)
Plant Type: Tree - deciduous
Mature Size: 15 - 22m x 7 - 10m (height x width)
Habit: Upright
Form: Oval - horizontal, Round
Texture: Medium - coarse
Landscape Uses: Accent plant, Native planting, Specimen plant, Street (boulevard tree), Summer interest, Winter interest
Exposure: Full sun, Part sun/part shade
Soil or Media: Well-drained
Leaves: Simple, Alternate, Soft flexible, Heavily veined, Pinnate venation, Pubescent, Elliptic, Ovate, Double serrate
Flowers: Catkin (ament), Green-yellow, Brown, Apr-Dec
Fruit: Nut, Green-yellow, Brown, Oct, (Persistent)
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.