The American hornbeam is a small tree native to eastern North America, spanning in range as far west as Minnesota, as far north as Maine, and as far south as Florida. A tree that favors shade and moist soil, it is an important part of riverside ecosystems and plays a key role in preventing erosion. Its leaves, branches, and small nuts feed many species of lepidoptera (butterfly and moth) caterpillars, rodents, birds, and deer.
It is small in size and has a unique trunk that is often crooked or fluted, earning it the name of the musclewood or muscle beech for its resemblance to flexed muscles. The American hornbeam’s bark is greenish-gray in color, and its leaves are a medium green with single-toothed edges.
ALSO KNOWN AS: Blue Beech, Ironwood, Musclewood, or Muscle Beech
FAMILY: Betulaceae
NATIVE STATUS: Native
NATIVE RANGE: Eastern United States and Southern Mexico
FOLIAGE: Deciduous
MAX. HEIGHT: 35 ft.
MAX. AGE: 150 yrs.
Stop #10 on the Congressional Tree Walk
