282 TREES OF MINNESOTA. 



Genus OSTRYA. 



Flowers monoecious, apetalous; the staminate naked in long 

 pendulous catkins; the pistillate in erect loose catkins; ovary 

 two-celled, inferior, surrounded by small deciduous bracts and 

 each inclosed in a sac-like involucre which grows and forms a 

 sort of cluster, like that of the common hop. Leaves alternate. 

 Only one species comes within our range. 



Ostrya virginiana. Hornbeam. Ironwood. Hop Horn- 

 beam. 



Leaves oblong-lanceolate, taper-pointed, very sharply and 

 doubly serrate, green above and downy beneath. Flowers 

 minute, appearing with the leaves. Seed in short imbricated 

 catkin-like clusters, ripe in August but hanging on into late 

 autumn; nut one-fourth to one-third of an inch long. Bark 

 on old trees dark brown and furrowed, not smooth as in Car- 

 pinus. A handsome tree, generally small, but occasionally a 

 foot or more in diameter. 



Distribution. From Cape Breton to northern Minnesota and 

 Black Hills of Dakota and south to northern Florida and east- 

 ern Texas. In Minnesota common throughout the timbered 

 portions of the state except close to the shore of Lake Superior. 



Propagation. Generally grown from seeds, but may be grown 

 from layers or grafts. 



Properties of wood. Heavy, very strong, hard and tough, ex- 

 ceedingly close grained, durable in contact with the soil and 

 susceptible of a fine polish. It is light brown tinged with red, 

 or ofter nearly white with thick pale sapwood. Specific gravity 

 0.8284; weight of a cubic foot 51.62 pounds. 



Uses. The Hornbeam is a very beautiful, hardy tree, and is 

 occasionally used for ornamental purposes, for umbrella sticks 

 and canes, but on account of its rather slow growth it is not 

 generally desirable for this purpose. The wood is used for 

 fence posts, levers, mallets, handles of tools, and medicinally in 

 homeopathic practice. 



