Trees of Alabama and the Southeast Home Page

Leaves are simple, alternate, deciduous, thin, doubly serrate, elliptical to ovate and hairy underneath.   Twigs are slender, zigzag, and red-brown.  Buds are pointed and brown-maroon striped. Bark is gray, smooth, and fluted with a sinewy appearance. Fruit is a nutlet on a 3-lobed leafy bract. Hornbeam is an understory tree found on moist, well-drained sites in the eastern U.S. and is tolerant of shade. The wood is hard and pale and used for tool handles and bowls.  The seed is eaten by turkey, songbirds and rodents.

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All text and photographs are intended for educational purposes only and are not for commercial use in any form.  All photographs are copyrighted by the named photographer(s), text copyright by Lisa Samuelson. © 2005, all rights reserved. Photographs by Mike Hogan.