112 TIMBER TREES OF NORTH CAROLINA. 



dark or lighter red in color; the sapwood nearly white. It takes 

 a beautiful polish, and is used for chairs, shoe-lasts, plane-stocks, 

 handles, and for fuel. The bark is sometimes used for tanning,, 

 and a valuable oil is derived from the nuts. The wood is little 

 used in North Carolina except for fuel. 



Ostrya virginica, Willdenow. 



(hop hornbeam, iron wood.) 



A small tree, with smooth dark brown branches, brownish finely 

 furrowed bark, and an oval head, reaching a height of 50 and a 

 diameter of 2 feet. 



It occurs from the Bay of Chaleur to northern Minnesota, 

 south to eastern Texas, and along the Appalachian mountains and 

 Piedmont region to western Florida; reaching its best develop- 

 ment in southern Arkansas. 



In North Carolina, where its average height is 20 to 30 feet, 

 it occurs only in the Piedmont plateau and mountain regions. In 

 rich spots near the summits of some of the high mountains, at an 

 elevation of 4,500 to 5,200 feet, it forms small patches of almost 

 pure forest or grows in mixture with the sugar maple and 

 service tree. 



The hop hornbeam bears seed at frequent intervals. Small 

 trees sprout freely from the stump. Numerous adventitious 

 branches grow from the trunks of older trees. It is a slow 

 growing tree and can endure deep shade even in youth. Trees 

 over 12 inches in diameter are very often hollow. 



The thin leaves are oblong-ovate or elliptical, finely pointed, 

 sharply toothed, smooth above and somewhat hairy beneath. The 

 male flowers occur in drooping cylindrical catkins, the female in 

 short and slender ones. The fruit is hop-like and is made up of from 

 12 to 20 seed vessels each containing one hard pointed nutlet. The 

 prominent winter-buds are dark brown and cone-shaped. The 

 hop hornbeam has a tap-root and deeply penetrating lateral roots. 



The wood is heavy, very strong, hard, tough, very close-grained, 

 compact, light brown in color, or often nearly white, like the 



