Carpinus caroliniana (
American hornbeam) is a small
hardwood tree in the
genus Carpinus. American hornbeam is also known as
blue-beech,
ironwood, and
musclewood. It is native to eastern
North America, from
Minnesota and southern
Ontario east to
Maine, and south to eastern
Texas and northern
Florida. It also grows in
Canada (southwest
Quebec and southeast
Ontario). It is a small tree reaching heights of 10–15 m, rarely 20 m, and often has a fluted and crooked trunk. The bark is smooth and greenish-grey, becoming shallowly fissured in all old trees. The leaves are alternate, 3–12 cm long, with prominent veins giving a distinctive corrugated texture, and a serrated margin. The male and female
catkins appear in spring at the same time as the leaves. The fruit is a small 7–8 mm long nut, partially surrounded by a three- to seven-pointed leafy
involucre 2–3 cm long; it matures in autumn. The seeds often do not germinate till the spring of the second year after maturating.