Hornbeam

Hornbeam Temporal range: 49.42–0  Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Recent
European hornbeam foliage
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Fagales
Family:	Betulaceae
Subfamily:	Coryloideae
Genus:	Carpinus L.
Synonyms[1]
Distegocarpus Siebold & Zucc

Hornbeams are

The common English name hornbeam derives from the hardness of the woods (likened to horn) and the Old English beam, "tree" (cognate with Dutch ‘’Boom’’ and German Baum).

The

The botanical name for the genus, Carpinus, is the original Latin name for the European species, although some

Hornbeams are small, slow-growing, understory trees with a natural, rounded form growing 4.5–9 metres (15–30 feet) tall and wide; the exemplar species—the European hornbeam—reaches a maximum height of 32 m (105 ft).^[3]: 296

Leaves are deciduous, dark-green, alternate and simple with a coarsely-serrated margin, varying from 3 to 10 centimetres (1 to 4 inches) in length. In autumn, leaves turn various shades of yellow, orange and red. Hornbeam saplings, stressed trees, and the lower branches of mature trees may exhibit marcescence—where leaves wither with autumn but abscission (leafdrop) is delayed until spring.^[4]

The smooth, gray trunk and larger branches of a mature tree exhibit a distinctive muscle-like fluting.^[5]

As with other members of the

Species of Carpinus are often grouped into two subgenera Carpinus subgenus Carpinus and Carpinus subgenus Distegicarpus.

However,

Early Eocene, Ypresian of northwestern North America, with the species Carpinus perryae described from fossil fruits found in the Klondike Mountain Formation of Republic, Washington.^[9]

Species

Accepted species:[11]

• Carpinus betulus L. – European hornbeam - Europe to Western Asia; naturalized in North America.^[12]
• Carpinus caroliniana Walter – American hornbeam - Eastern North America
• Carpinus chuniana Hu – Guangdong, Guizhou, Hubei
• Carpinus cordata Blume – Sawa hornbeam - Primorye, China, Korea, Japan
• Carpinus dayongiana K.W.Liu & Q.Z.Lin – Hunan
• Carpinus eximia Nakai – Korea
• Carpinus faginea Lindl. – Nepal, Himalayas of northern India
• Carpinus fangiana Hu^[13] – Sichuan, Guangxi
• Carpinus hebestroma Yamam. – Taiwan
• Carpinus henryana (H.J.P.Winkl.) H.J.P.Winkl. – southern China
• Carpinus japonica Blume – Japanese hornbeam - Japan
• Carpinus kawakamii Hayata – Taiwan, southeastern China
• Carpinus kweichowensis Hu – Guizhou, Yunnan
• Carpinus langaoensis Z. Qiang Lu & J. Quan Liu – Shaanxi, China
• Carpinus laxiflora (Siebold & Zucc.) Blume – Aka-shide hornbeam - Japan, Korea
• Carpinus lipoensis Y.K.Li – Guizhou
• Carpinus londoniana H.J.P.Winkl. – southern China, northern Indochina
• Carpinus luochengensis J.Y.Liang – Guangxi
• Carpinus mengshanensis S.B.Liang & F.Z.Zhao – Shandong
• Carpinus microphylla Z.C.Chen ex Y.S.Wang & J.P.Huang – Guangxi
• Carpinus mollicoma Hu – Tibet, Sichuan, Yunnan
• Carpinus monbeigiana Hand.-Mazz. – Tibet, Yunnan
• Carpinus omeiensis Hu & W.P.Fang – Sichuan, Guizhou
• Carpinus orientalis Mill. – Oriental hornbeam - Hungary, Balkans, Italy, Crimea, Turkey, Iran, Caucasus
• Carpinus paohsingensis W.Y.Hsia – China
• †Carpinus perryae Pigg, Manchester, & Wehr, 2003 - Ypresian, Klondike Mountain Formation
• Carpinus polyneura Franch. – southern China
• Carpinus pubescens Burkill – China, Vietnam
• Carpinus purpurinervis Hu – Guizhou, Guangxi
• Carpinus putoensis W.C.Cheng – Putuo hornbeam - Zhejiang
• Carpinus rankanensis Hayata – Taiwan
• Carpinus rupestris A.Camus – Yunnan, Guangxi, Guizhou
• Carpinus shensiensis Hu – Gansu, Shaanxi
• Carpinus shimenensis C.J.Qi – Hunan
• †
  Yunnan Province
• Carpinus tropicalis (Donn.Sm.) Lundell – Mexico, Central America
• Carpinus tsaiana Hu – Yunnan, Guizhou
• Carpinus tschonoskii Maxim. – Chonowski's hornbeam - China, Korea, Japan
• Carpinus turczaninovii Hance – Korean hornbeam,^[15] - China, Korea, Japan
• Carpinus viminea Wall. ex Lindl. – China, Korea, Himalayas, northern Indochina

Distribution and habitat

The 30–40 species occur across much of the

temperate regions of the northern hemisphere, with the greatest number of species in east Asia, particularly China. Only two species occur in Europe, only one in eastern North America, and one in Mesoamerica.^{[1][16][17][18][19]} Carpinus betulus can be found in Europe, Turkey and Ukraine.^[12]

Ecology

walnut sphinx, Svensson's copper underwing, and winter moth (recorded on European hornbeam) as well as the Coleophora case-bearers C. currucipennella and C. ostryae.^[20]

Uses

Hornbeams yield a very hard

heartwood

billets are nearly white and are suitable for decorative use. For general carpentry, hornbeam is rarely used, partly due to the difficulty of working it.

The wood is used to construct carving boards, tool handles, handplane soles, coach wheels, piano actions, shoe lasts, and other products where a very tough, hard wood is required.

The wood can also be used as gear pegs in simple machines, including traditional

coppiced

to provide hardwood poles. It is also used in parquet flooring and for making chess pieces.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Carpinus L., Sp. Pl.: 998 (1753)". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
2. ISBN 0521366755
3. ISBN 9780521707725
   .
4. ISBN 978-0754834755
   .
5. ^ "Carpinus caroliniana - Plant Finder". www.missouribotanicalgarden.org.
6. JSTOR 43782230
   .
7. ^ "Hornbeam, American (Musclewood) | Nebraska Forest Service". nfs.unl.edu.
8. ISBN 978-1015282605
   .
9. ^
   S2CID 19802370
   .
10. S2CID 86080433
    .
11. ^ "Carpinus L., Sp. Pl.: 998 (1753)". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
12. ^ ^{a b} Carpinus betulus. 2.nd Ed., The Royal Horticultural Society, Dorling Kindersley Ltd, London, pp. 234, 235.
13. ^ "Carpinus fangiana". Rogers Trees and Shrubs. Archived from the original on 2011-07-15.
14. S2CID 16941126
    .
15. ISBN 978-89-97450-98-5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 May 2017. Retrieved 8 December 2016 – via Korea Forest Service
    .
16. ^ Flora of China, Vol. 4 Page 289, 鹅耳枥属 e er li shu, Carpinus Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 2: 998. 1753.
17. ^ Flora of North America, Vol. 3, Hornbeam, Carpinus Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 2: 998. 1753; Gen. Pl. ed. 5, 432, 1754.
18. ^ "Carpinus betulus L." Altervista Flora Italiana.
19. ^ "2013 BONAP North American Plant Atlas. TaxonMaps". Biota of North America Program.
20. U.S. Department of Agriculture
    . 1972. p. 297.
21. ^ ^{a b} Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Eichhorn, Markus; Haran, Brady (2011-12-01). "The Hornbeam's Heartbeat". test-tube.org.uk. University of Nottingham. Retrieved 2012-12-30.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Carpinus.

Look up hornbeam in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article "Hornbeam".

• Eichhorn, Markus (December 2011). "Hornbeam". Test Tube. Brady Haran for the University of Nottingham.