210 TREES OF MINNESOTA. 



tanning purposes; the volatile oil used for imparting the 

 flavor of Birch to candies, soda water, etc. is derived to some 

 extent from this species though mostly from the Sweet Birch 

 (J3. lenta. ) It requires a cold moist soil to develop its best 

 form and suffers severely from drouth; on this account it is 

 not desirable as an ornamental tree or for prairie planting. 



Genus OSTBYA. 



Flowers monoecious, apetalous; the staminate naked in 

 long pendulous catkins; the pistillate in erect loose catkins; 

 ovary 2-celled, inferior, surrounded by small deciduous bracts 

 and each enclosed 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. Hop Hornbeam. Ironwood. 

 Lever Wood. 



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 i to i of an inch long. Bark on old trees dark 

 brown and furrowed, not smooth as in Carpinus. A hand- 

 some 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 

 eastern Texas. In Minnesota common throughout the tim- 

 bered 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, 

 exceedingly close grained, durable in contact with the soil 

 and susceptible of a fine polish. It is light brown tinged 

 with red or often nearly white with thick pale sapwood. 

 Specific gravity 0.8284; weight of a cubic foot 51.62 pounds. 



Uses. The Hop Hornbeam is a very beautiful,- hardy 

 tree and is occasionally used for ornamental purposes, but 

 on account of its rather slow growth it is not generally desir- 



