CARPINUS CAROLINIANA, WALT. 59 



Carpinus Caroliniana, Walt. 



Hornbeam. Blue Beech. Ironwood. Water Beech. 



Habitat and Range. Low, wet woods, and margins of 

 swamps. 



Province of Quebec to Georgian bay. 



Rather common throughout New England, less frequent 

 towards the coast. 



South to Florida ; west to Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas, Indian 

 territory, and Texas. 



Habit. A low, spreading tree, 10-30 feet high, with a 

 trunk diameter of 6-12 inches, rarely reaching 2 feet 5 trunk 

 short, often given a fluted appearance by projecting ridges 

 running down from the lower branches to the ground ; in 

 color and smoothness resembling the beech ; lower branches 

 .often much declined, upper going out at various angles, often 

 zigzag but keeping the same general direction ; head wide, 

 close, flat-topped to rounded, with fine, slender spray. 



Bark. Trunk smooth, close, dark bluish-gray ; branchlets 

 grayish ; season's shoots light green turning brown, more or 

 less hairv. 



Winter Buds and Leaves. Leaf -buds small, oval or ovoid, 

 acute to obtuse. Leaves simple, alternate, 2-3 inches long, 

 dull green above, lighter beneath, turning to scarlet or crim- 

 son in autumn ; outline ovate or slightly obovate oblong or 

 broadly oval, irregularly and sharply doubly serrate ; veins 

 prominent and pubescent beneath, at least when young ; apex 

 acuminate to acute ; base rounded, truncate, acute, or slightly 

 and unevenly heart-shaped ; leafstalk rather short, slender, 

 hairy ; stipules pubescent, falling early. 



Inflorescence. May. Sterile flowers from growth of the 

 preceding season in short, stunted-looking, lateral catkins, 

 mostly single ; scales ovate or rounded, obtuse, each subtend- 

 ing several stamens ; filaments very short, mostly 2-forked ; 

 anthers bearded at the tip : fertile flowers at the ends of leafy 

 shoots of the season, in loose catkins ; bractlets foliaceous, 



