Carpinus betulus, theEuropean orcommon hornbeam, is aspecies of tree in the birchfamily Betulaceae,native to Western Asia and central, eastern, and southern Europe, including southern England.[1] It requires a warm climate for good growth, and occurs only at elevations up to 1,000 metres (3,281 ft). It grows in mixed stands withoak, and in some areasbeech, and is also a common tree in scree forests. Hornbeam was also known asyoke elm.[2] Together withCarpinus orientalis andCarpinus austrobalcanica, it is one of the three hornbeams founded in Europe.
It is a deciduous small to medium-sizetree reaching heights of 15–25 metres (49–82 ft), rarely 30 m (98 ft), and often has a fluted and crookedtrunk. The bark is smooth and greenish-grey, even in old trees. The buds, unlike those of the beech, are 10 mm (0.39 in) long at the most, and pressed close to the twig. Theleaves are alternate, 4–9 cm (1.6–3.5 in) long, with prominent veins giving a distinctive corrugated texture, and a serrated margin. It ismonoecious, and the wind-pollinated male and femalecatkins appear in early summer after the leaves. Thefruit is a small 7–8 mm (0.28–0.31 in) longnut, partially surrounded by a three-pointed leafyinvolucre 3–4 cm (1.2–1.6 in) long; it matures in autumn.[citation needed]
Hornbeam is considerednative from Western Asia and throughout Europe.[1] The species prefers a warm climate, and only naturally occurs below 1,000 metres (3,281 ft) in elevation. It is a common tree inscree forests.[2]
Hornbeam was frequentlycoppiced andpollarded in the past in England. It is still infrequently managed using these traditional methods, but mainly for non-commercial conservation purposes. As a woodland tree traditionally managed in this way, it is particularly frequent in theancient woodlands of southEssex,Hertfordshire and northKent where it typically occupies more than half of most ancient woods andwood pastures.[3]
There are a number of notable forests whereC. betulus is a dominant tree species, among which includeEpping Forest in the United Kingdom, andHalltorps hage inÖland, Sweden.
Old hornbeam coppice stools left uncut for at least 100 years.Coldfall Wood, London
In England, trees appear to prefer soils with a pH from 3.6 to 4.6 but tolerate up to 7.6. They are found on soils with moderate clay content and avoid soils with particularly high or low clay content.[3]Carpinus betulus likes full sun or partial shade,[5] moderatesoil fertility and moisture. It has a shallow, wide-spreading root system and is marked by the production of stump sprouts when cut back.[citation needed]
Theseeds often do not germinate until the spring of the second year after sowing. The hornbeam is a prolific seeder and is marked by vigorous natural regeneration.[citation needed]
This tree has been associated with the poisonous mushroomAmanita phalloides, better known as thedeath-cap mushroom, which grow around the trunk after hornbeams mature. When ingested, death-cap mushrooms can cause extreme medical conditions and death. Death-cap mushrooms can be mistaken for other edible mushrooms (Amanita princeps).[6]
As early as Roman times, but also during theThirty Years' War, defensive hedges (Landwehr) in Central Europe were largely planted from hornbeams. The bushes were chopped down with axes and broken down. The trees would then grow together with blackberries,dog roses, and other thorny bushes into impenetrable hedges. In the 11th century, for example, theElectorate of Mainz set up a large defensive forest called theRheingauer Gebück [de]. Many place names with the endings -hagen and -hain refer to such landwehrs.[9]
Hildegard of Bingen wrote of hornbeam being used as a plant in traditional medicine to treatvitiligo. The heated hornbeam chips were pressed onto the affected skin areas.[10] Hornbeam is used inBach flower remedies as a treatment for exhaustion.[9]
The wood is heavy and hard, and is used for tools and building constructions. It also burns hot and slowly, making it very suitable for firewood.[11] This was the reason for lopping and hence indirectly the saving of Epping Forest, where the hornbeam was a favoured pollarding tree.[citation needed] The wood has a very highcalorific value of around 2,300 kWh/RM.[12]
^abRackham, Oliver (2003).Ancient Woodland; its history, vegetation and uses in England (New ed.). Castlepoint Press.ISBN1-897604-27-0.
^Łańcucka-Środoniowa M.: Macroscopic plant remains from the freshwater Miocene of the Nowy Sącz Basin (West Carpathians, Poland) [Szczątki makroskopowe roślin z miocenu słodkowodnego Kotliny Sądeckiej (Karpaty Zachodnie, Polska)]. Acta Palaeobotanica 1979 20 (1): 3-117.
