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Fothergilla gardenii Witch Alder
Fothergilla gardenii (Witch Alder). Photo © Mary Free
You are here: Home / Plants / Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic / Trees / Carpinus caroliniana (American Hornbeam, Ironwood)

Carpinus caroliniana (American Hornbeam, Ironwood)

Carpinus caroliniana at Longwood Gardens in April
Fluted trunk of Carpinus caroliniana
Rounded crown of Carpinus caroliniana at the North Carolina Arboretum
The leaves and fruit of Carpinus caroliniana in July
the blue-grey bark of Carpinus caroliniana
The leaves of Carpinus caroliniana

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The most climate-adaptable of our native trees, this understory plant is found in both upland and floodplain forests throughout eastern North America.* It is noted both for its multi-season interest and the fluted bark which leads to its alternative name: “Musclewood.” Tried and True Native Plants of the Mid-Atlantic Tree Trees in April Landscape, Leaves, Fruit Height: 25–30 feet eaves, Fruit, Leaves, Fruit, \ Spread: 25–30 feet Bloom Color: Yellow-green, red Characteristics Slow-growing, short deciduous tree with broad, rounded crown, often with multiple trunks Alternate, elliptic-oval, dark green leaves with doubly serrated margins and parallel lateral veins Drooping male & short female catkins at twig tips, cross-pollinated by wind, mid- to late spring Dangling clusters of ribbed nuts, each with 1–3-lobed foliaceous bract, disperse by wind fall thru winter Yellow to orange-red foliage, often marcescent Smooth, thin, blue-gray bark, heavily fluted with long, sinewy ridges Attributes Tolerates periodic flooding, full shade, clay soil, Black Walnut; no serious pests or diseases; deer occasionally browse on leaves and twigs Sensitive to drought, heat, soil compaction Birds/mammals eat catkins/nutlets; provides cover/ nesting; larval host for Lepidoptera like Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Striped Hairstreak, Red-spotted Purple Growing and Maintenance Tips Excellent Replacement for Soil Requirements: Rich, acidic, well-drained Carpinus betulus - European Hornbeam Light Requirements: Partial Shade, Shade Fraxinus americana** - White Ash Water Requirements: Moist Fraxinus pennsylvanica** - Green Ash Best planted in spring, difficult to transplant Salix sp. - Weeping Willow Use as lawn tree in shade, naturalized in understory *It is native in DC, MD, and throughout PA. It is common in DE. In VA, it is common in the Coastal Plain and Piedmont and frequent in the mountains at lower elevations. **Replacement for ashes destroyed by emerald ash borer. Hardiness: USDA Zones 3-9 developed by Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia, serving Arlington and Alexandria Images by Elaine Mills, Longwood Gardens and National Garden, U.S. Botanic Garden

Tried and True Native Plant Selections
for the Mid-Atlantic

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Carpinus caroliniana (American Hornbeam, Ironwood)

The most climate-adaptable of our native trees, this understory plant is found in both upland and floodplain forests throughout eastern North America.* It is noted both for its multi-season interest and the fluted bark which leads to its alternative name: “Musclewood.”

*It is native in DC, MD, and throughout PA. It is common in DE. In VA, it is common in the Coastal Plain and Piedmont and frequent in the mountains at lower elevations.

Learn more about other Mid-Atlantic plants: 
Tried and True Native Plant Fact Sheets