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European Hornbeam - Carpinus betulus
Birch Family: Betulaceae Height: 40 to 60 feet /
Spread: 35 to 40 feet
Uses: Bonsai; hedge; large parking lot islands, wide tree lawns,
medium-sized parking lot islands, medium-sized tree lawns, recommended
for buffer strips around parking lots or for median strip plantings in
the highway; screen; shade tree; specimen; sidewalk cutout (tree pit);
residential street tree.
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European Hornbeam Foliage |
The species is not normally grown but it reaches 60 feet
tall and spreads 40 feet preferring well-drained soil.
Cultivars are more common than the species. The cultivar
‘Fastigiata’ is most often offered by nurseries and is a
popular street tree. The species tolerates a pH above 7.0.
The plant grows slowly, is shallow rooted, and it can branch
low to the ground. The crown is finely branched, densely
foliated and forms a beautiful oval or vase in the
landscape. European hornbeam has yellow fall color and
enough pruning tolerance to be a hedge, tall screen or
topiary. It was and is the plant of choice for clipped
screens and hedges in English and early American gardens.
The tree lends itself well for use as a screen due to the
densely foliated crown and low, dense branching. It can also
be trained to one central leader and used as a fine street
tree, but will benefit from occasional irrigation in a
prolonged drought, although severe drought will not kill the
tree, but could cause die-back. There are old plants in the
south which look great, having received no irrigation in
recent droughts. These plants were observed in areas where
soil space was not limiting and roots were allowed to expand
unhindered by urban structures like curbs, pavement and
sidewalks. |
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Lower branches should be removed
early if using it for a street tree but with lower
branches intact it makes a wonderful climbing tree. The
cultivars are usually very branchy and form a dense
crown too thick to climb. The wood is very hard and
strong and dulls wood working tools quickly. Fruit and
buds are eaten by many birds. It is reportedly difficult
to transplant which, along with slow growth, probably
accounts for its lack of use, but it has most of the
attributes commonly associated with a good urban tree
and should be planted more. |
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This European Hornbeam was started from seed 24 years ago. |
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Relatively few insects attack European
hornbeam. Maple phenacoccus forms white cottony masses on
the undersides of the leaves. Two-lined chestnut borer can
cause dieback.
Diseases: None are normally very serious. Several fungi
cause leaf spots on Hornbeam. Leaf spots are not serious so
control measures are usually not needed. Canker caused by
several fungi causes infected branches to dieback and entire
trees die if the trunk is infected and girdled. Severely
infected trees cannot be saved but infected branches are
pruned out. Powdery mildew can cause a white powdery growth
on the leaves, but the disease is not common on Carpinus. --USDA Forest Service Fact Sheet ST-118 November 1993
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