FOREST TKEES. 



177 



OSTRYA^ Micheli. — Hop-Hornbeam, 



A tree closely related to the common Beech tree, but with 

 the fertile flowers numerous, in short terminal catkins, with 

 small deciduous bracts, each enclosed in a sac-like involucre, 

 which enlarges and forms an imbricated strobile, like that of 

 the common Hop. Slender tree with very hard wood. 



Ostrya Virginica, Willd. — American Hop-Hornbeam, Iron-wood, 

 Lever- wood. — Leaves oblong-ovate, taper pointed, very sharply 

 and doubly serrate, downy beneath. Flowers minute, appear- 

 ing with the leaves. Seeds in short imbricated catkins, as 

 shown in figure 43, which are about one half the natural sL . . A 



Fio^. 43. — HOP- HORNBEAM. 



handsome tree, thirty to forty feet high, with straight stem, 

 rarely more than a foot in diameter. Wood white, very hard 

 and heavy, used for making beetles for splitting rails, mallets, 

 mauls, and similar implements. Bark on old trees dark-brown, 

 and furrowed, not smooth as in the closely allied Water Beech 

 (Carpiniis). Seeds ripen in August in our Northern States, at 

 which time the hop-like catkins containing them should be 

 gathered and spread out to dry in the shade, until the seed can 

 be rubbed or threshed out. A handsome tree, well worthy of 

 extensive cultivation for its v^aluable timber. More or less 

 common in Nova Scotia, Canada, and all of our Northern States, 

 and in rich woods south to Florida. The European Horn- 

 beam (0. vulgaris) Tesemhles our native species very closely, and 

 is often planted for ornament. 



