Hornbeam, common

The hornbeam is an abundant tree in southern and eastern England, but is probably the least-known of the common woodland trees.

What other names does it have?

Can also be known as	Horse beech Hurst beech White beech Hardbeam
Generic name	Hornbeam
Latin name	Carpinus betulus
Family name	Birch
Latin family name	Betulaceae

What type of tree is it?

Is it a broadleaf or conifer?	It is a broadleaf
Does it lose its leaves in autumn?	Yes, it is deciduous

Species description:

Average height	10-20m

Leaf

Description	Corrugated by 10-14 pairs of leaf veins. The edges of the leaves have fine unevenly toothed/serrated edges.
Shape	Oval
Size	7-12cm
Colour	Dark green
Colour of leaves in autumn	Golden yellow to brilliant orange
Leaf bud	Slender buds around 8mm long. The bud tips are slightly curved
Leaf stalk	Short stalk
Leaf arrangement	Alternate

Flower, seed, and fruit

Type of flower	Catkin
Flowering season	May – June
Tree/flower sex	Both sexes
Fruit colour	Fresh green ripening to medium brown
Fruit season	Autumn
Type of seed body	Large winged seed/key
Seeds dispersed by	Wind

Bark and twig

Bark description	Grey and smooth with vertical markings which may be dull silver or orange
Twig Description	Slender, dark brown

What other trees are similar?

Can easily be confused with?	Common Beech- which has smooth edges to the leaves and few leaf veins

Where is it usually found?

Is it native or non-native to the British Isles?	Native
Where is its natural range?	South and East England
Preferred soil type or environmental conditions?	Can be dominant on clay soils and is abundant on richer soils. It has been widely planted
What is its British conservation status?	Common

Additional information

Is any part of the tree poisonous?

Human uses of tree and timber

The wood of the hornbeam is extremely hard, which gives the hornbeam part of its name as 'horn' meant 'hard'. The hardness of the wood means it was not widely used for timber due to the difficulty in working it. However, it was used for smaller purposes cogs, ox yokes, musical instruments; pulleys, mallets, skittles and butchers’ chopping blocks. The wood was also valuable for fuel as it burnt hot enough to smelt iron.

Common hornbeam

Leaves and flowers

Common hornbeam fruit

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