Trees of New York State 159 



BETULAGEAE 



(';ii])iiuis caroliniaiia Walt. 



Blue Beech, Hornbeam, Water Beech 



Habit — A .slinili or low l)us]iy tree 25-30 foot in licifrht with a short fluted 

 trunk ()-12 inches in diameter, under optimum conditions sometimes 40 

 feet in height with a tniuk 18-24 inches in diameter. Crown round- 

 topped and ^v-ide-spreading. con.sisting of long, wiry, ascending branches 

 which are often pendulous at the tijjs, and short, thin laterals, the two 

 forming horizontal sprays. 



Leaves — Alternate, borne on slender, terete, haiiy petioles about % of an 

 inch long, ovate-oblong, 2-4 inches long, 1-1% inches wide, acuminate at 

 the apex, rounded or cuneate and often inequilateral at the base, finely 

 doubly serrate, at maturity thin, firm, smooth and deep green above, pale 

 green and glabrous or puberulous below with tufts of pale hairs in the 

 axils of the veins. 



Flowers — • Appearing in April and early May with the leaves, monoecious, 

 borne in aments. Staminate aments arising from lateral buds similar to 

 leaf-buds but larger, at authesis reddish green, pendant, about 1^2 inches 

 long. Pistillate aments appearing with the leaves, terminal on the 

 growth of the season, lax, green, i/^-% of an inch long. The staminate 

 flowers consist of 6-40 yellow half-anthers which are raised on short, 

 bifurcated filaments inserted on a pilose torus, the group subtended by 

 a short-stalked, broadly ovate, concave scale. The pistillate flowers are 

 borne in pairs at the base of an ovate, acute, deciduous bract and consist 

 of an ovary invested by a bracteole and 2 secondary braetlets, a short 

 style, and 2 elongated, filiform scarlet stigmas. 



Fruit — A long-pedunculate, pendulous cluster of 3-lobed, foliaceous, green 

 involucres, IM;^^ inches long, 1-2 inches \\'ide, each involucre bearing 

 adaxilly a corrugated, light brown nutlet. The involucres arise from the 

 fusion of a bracteole and 2 secondary braetlets and are borne vis-a-vis 

 in pairs. 



Winter characters — Twigs very slender, tough, pale-lenticellate, smooth, 

 lustrous, dark reddish brown and often zizag, at length dull reddish 

 gray. Terminal bud absent. Lateral buds ovate, acute, slightly puberu- 

 lous, somewhat divergent, light chestnut-brown, about Vs of an inch long. 

 Mature bark bluish gray tinged with brown, thin, forming a smooth layer 

 on the fluted trunk. 



Habitat — A moisture-loving species usually found in swamps, along the 

 banks of streams, in low wet woods and on moist slopes. 



Range — Xova Scotia westward through southern Canada to Minnesota; 

 southward to Florida and Texas. Zones B and C. 



Uses — Of no commercial significance. Wood very heavj', hard, strong, close- 

 grained, light bro^^^l with thick white sapwood. The tree is occasionally 

 used ornamentally on wet, springy sites. 



