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Tried and True Native Plant Selections
for the Mid-Atlantic
Print Version (Legal Size):
Ostrya virginiana ([Eastern] Hop-hornbeam, Ironwood)
Despite being one of the hardest of native* woods, Hop-hornbeam is undesirable in commercial forests. It provides interest as an ornamental though, with fluted trunk, exfoliating bark, and drooping clusters of sac- like pods that resemble the fruit of hops, hence its common name.
*It is native to DC and most counties in PA. In DE, it is rare in the Piedmont and absent in the Coastal Plain. In VA, it is common in the mountains, frequent in the Piedmont, and infrequent in the Coastal Plain.
Learn more about other Mid-Atlantic plants:
Tried and True Native Plant Fact Sheets