HORNBEAM – Carpinus betulus: [ 28 & 56 ]
Grows to 30m with pale grey bark which has vertical markings. Green oval leaves with pointed tips they look pleated due to the deep furrows. They turn yellow to orange in autumn and most stay all winter. Male and female catkins grow on the same tree and are wind pollinated. The female catkins swell into papery winged seeds called samaras. Hornbeam is home to many creatures that can sheeter among the leaves in winter. Several moth caterpillars eat the foliage while birds eat the seeds. The wood is the hardest of any wood, it’s used in furniture, chopping blocks and cogs in windmills and watermills.
Grows to 30m with pale grey bark which has vertical markings. Green oval leaves with pointed tips they look pleated due to the deep furrows. They turn yellow to orange in autumn and most stay all winter. Male and female catkins grow on the same tree and are wind pollinated. The female catkins swell into papery winged seeds called samaras. Hornbeam is home to many creatures that can sheeter among the leaves in winter. Several moth caterpillars eat the foliage while birds eat the seeds. The wood is the hardest of any wood, it’s used in furniture, chopping blocks and cogs in windmills and watermills.
