From New York to Florida and westward is the natural 

 home of the pignut and it is common along the Hudson 

 Valley. 



American Hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana 



Of all the native trees of the Hudson Valley the wood of 

 the hornbeam is undoubtedly the hardest and least easily 

 worked. The tree is never more than 30 to 40 feet in height 

 and the trunk is covered by a close-fitting, smooth, bluish- 

 gray bark. The tough, spreading branches, together with 

 the trunk, are often fluted and have a characteristic sinewy 

 appearance. 



The oval or oblong, sharp-pointed leaf-blades are dull 

 green in color, from 2 to 5 inches long, and coarsely toothed. 

 On the upper side the veins are deeply impressed, thus mak- 

 ing the leaf-blade distinctly roughened. The leaf-stalk is 

 hairy and slender, and scarcely more than y 2 inch long. 



There are two kinds of flowers on the hornbeam, those 

 which subsequently develop into the fruits and those which 

 do not. Both kinds are arranged in catkins, and bloom be- 

 fore the leaves expand, usually in April. The fruit is a 

 small nut, scarcely more than y 8 inch in diameter, which is 

 enveloped in a flat 3-lobed miniature leaf. Sometimes one 

 or both of the lobes of this small leafy envelope may be 

 wanting. 



In moist bottom lands and often associated with the red 

 maple, the hornbeam is in its natural element, although it is 

 sometimes found in drier situations. The tree grows freely 

 from Maine to Florida and westward, and is verv common 

 in the Hudson Valley. 



Hop Hornbeam Ostrya virginiana 



Although the wood of the hop hornbeam is almost as hard 

 as the American hornbeam it is more easily worked, and is 

 used for making mallets, handles of tools and other imple- 

 ments. Unlike the American hornbeam the bark of this tree 

 is rough, and distinctly, but closely, fissured or roughened. 



