212 TREES OF MINNESOTA. 



able for this purpose. The wood is used for fence posts, 

 levers, mallets, handles of tools, and medicinally in homeo- 

 pathic practice. 



Genus CABPINUS. 



Tall, slender trees or small shrubs. About 12 species in 

 the northern hemisphere, only one of which is indigenous to- 

 North America. 



Carpinus caroliniana. Blue Beech. Water Beech. 

 Hornbeam. 



Leaves ovate, oblong, sharply serrate, pale blue-green on 

 upper surface and light yellow-green on the lower, smooth 

 and thin, 2i to 4 inches long, resembling those of the common. 

 Beech. Flowers monoecious, appearing with the leaves; the 

 staminate in rathar dense catkins and the pistillate in small 

 slender loose catkins with a 3-lobed bractlet to each seed. 

 Fruit in loose clusters at the ends of the new growth, with 

 large 3-lobed bracts to the involucre, ripening late in the 

 autumn. The nut is 1-6 to i of an inch long. Shrubs or 

 trees 20 or more feet high with smooth, grayish bark and 

 stems often deeply furrowed. 



Distribution. From southwestern Quebec westward to 

 northern Minnesota and eastern Nebraska and south to 

 Florida and Texas. Also found in southern Mexico and 

 Central America. In Minnesota common throughout the 

 south half of the state along streams and around lakes. 



Propagation. By seeds, which grow irregularly. The 

 varieties may be grafted or budded on seedling stocks. 



Properties of wood. Heavy, very strong, hard and close 

 grained; light -brown with thick nearly . white sapwood. 

 Specific gravity 0.7286; weight of a cubic foot 45.41 pounds. 



Uses. The graceful habit, dark blue-green foliage and 

 beautiful autumn tints of the Blue Beech make it a desirable 

 tree for parks and lawns on good soil in somewhat sheltered 

 situations. The wood is so very tough that it was used by the 

 early settlers in the northern states for brooms, ox-gads,, 

 withes, etc. The toughest wood of our northern forests. 



