176 WOODY PLANTS OF MASSACHUSETTS. 



nut is flattened on one side, of a woody texture, and contains a 

 small kernel which tastes somewhat like a chestnut. 



When growing by itself, in open ground, the hornbeam is a 

 low tree, with a broad, round, crowded, leafy head, the lower 

 branches bending nearly to the ground on every side. Its gen- 

 eral aspect and figure are like those of the beech, and it is 

 more uniform in its appearance than any other tree. 



It is found in every part of the State and in almost every 

 variety of soil except the most barren; but flourishes only in 

 rich moist land. It is never a large tree. I measured one by 

 the side of the Agawam River, near Chester Village, which was 

 three feet nine inches in circumference above the bulging of the 

 roots, and about thirty feet high; one in Brookline measured 

 two feet six inches at two feet from the ground ; and I have 

 often seen it of similar dimensions. It is usually five or six 

 inches in diameter and about twenty feet high. From the situ- 

 ations in which it is commonly found growing, on the steep sides 

 of river banks, and cold, clayey hills, it is rarely erect, but 

 generally inclined obliquely upwards, with very large, spread- 

 ing branches. 



It is of slow growth, and is supposed to live to a great age. 

 The wood is white, close-grained and compact, and has great 

 strength. It is used for beetles, levers, and for other purposes, 

 where strength and solidity are required; and it is well fitted 

 for the use of the turner. The corresponding species in Europe 

 is much esteemed as fuel, and in France its charcoal is preferred 

 to most others. The hornbeam is a tree of considerable beauty. 

 Its smooth, fluted trunk is an interesting object to one curious 

 in forest history ; its foliage is remarkable for its softness, and 

 the fruit is unlike that of every other tree. The crimson, scar- 

 let and orange of its autumnal colors, mingling into a rich pur- 

 plish red as seen at a distance, make it rank in splendor almost 

 with the tupelo and the scarlet oak. It is easily cultivated and 

 should have a corner in every collection of trees. 



According to Michaux, this tree is found in Nova Scotia, and 

 Pursh found it in Florida. It is common in all the New Eng- 

 land States, in New York and Pennsylvania, and in Carolina 

 and Georgia. 



