Hornbeam, American

Let's take a look at the American Hornbeam, also known as Carpinus caroliniana. This tree, also called Musclewood, Water Beech, and Blue Beech, is distinctive for its fluted, muscle-like trunk and twisted, smooth, gray bark. Though it only reaches heights of about 30 feet, it features a short, twisted trunk with a low, wide-spreading crown. The American Hornbeam is a short-lived tree, but its multitude of small limbs provides excellent nesting sites for many songbirds. It has both male and female flowers on the same tree, producing fruit in the form of ribbed nutlets attached to a three-lobed, leaf-like bract that hangs in clusters and ripens in the fall. The leaves of the American Hornbeam are about 4 inches long, grass-green in color, thin, ovate, and shiny. They are doubly serrated along the edges and arranged alternately along the branches. This alternate arrangement means that the leaves are staggered along the stem rather than directly opposite each other. This tree is often confused with the American Beech due to its smooth, light gray bark, which closely resembles that of the American Beech. Despite its small size and somewhat irregular form, the American Hornbeam is a unique and valuable tree in our forests, supporting a variety of wildlife and adding to the ecological diversity.