Carpinus purpurinervis
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Hornbeams are hardwood
tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...
s in the
flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...
genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
''Carpinus'' in the
birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains ...
family
Betulaceae Betulaceae, the birch family, includes six genera of deciduous nut-bearing trees and shrubs, including the birches, alders, hazels, hornbeams, hazel-hornbeam, and hop-hornbeams numbering a total of 167 species. They are mostly natives of the ...
. The 30–40 species occur across much of the
temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout ...
regions of the Northern Hemisphere.


Origin of names

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
American hornbeam ''Carpinus caroliniana'', the American hornbeam, is a small hardwood tree in the genus ''Carpinus''. American hornbeam is also known as blue-beech, ironwood, musclewood and muscle beech. It is native to eastern North America, from Minnesota and ...
is also occasionally known as blue-beech, ironwood, or musclewood, the first from the resemblance of the bark to that of the American beech ''Fagus grandifolia'', the other two from the hardness of the wood and the muscled appearance of the trunk and limbs. The botanical name for the genus, ''Carpinus'', is the original Latin name for the European species, although some etymologists derive it from the Celtic for a
yoke A yoke is a wooden beam sometimes used between a pair of oxen or other animals to enable them to pull together on a load when working in pairs, as oxen usually do; some yokes are fitted to individual animals. There are several types of yoke, u ...
.


Taxonomy

Formerly some taxonomists segregated them with the genera ''
Corylus The hazel (''Corylus'') is a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae,Germplasmgobills Information Network''Corylus''Rushforth, K. (1999). ...
'' ( hazels) and ''
Ostrya ''Ostrya'' is a genus of eight to 10 small deciduous trees belonging to the birch family Betulaceae. Common names include hop-hornbeam and hophornbeam. It may also be called ironwood, a name shared with a number of other plants. The genus is na ...
'' (
hop-hornbeam ''Ostrya'' is a genus of eight to 10 small deciduous trees belonging to the birch family Betulaceae. Common names include hop-hornbeam and hophornbeam. It may also be called ironwood, a name shared with a number of other plants. The genus is nat ...
s) in a separate family, Corylaceae. However, modern botanists place ''Carpinus'' in the
birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains ...
subfamily Coryloideae. Species of ''Carpinus'' are often grouped into two subgenera ''Carpinus'' subgenus ''Carpinus'' and ''Carpinus'' subgenus '' Distegicarpus''. However, phylogentic analysis has shown that ''
Ostrya ''Ostrya'' is a genus of eight to 10 small deciduous trees belonging to the birch family Betulaceae. Common names include hop-hornbeam and hophornbeam. It may also be called ironwood, a name shared with a number of other plants. The genus is na ...
'' likely evolved from a ''Carpinus'' ancestor somewhere in ''C.'' subg. '' Distegicarpus'' making ''Carpinus'' paraphyletic. The fossil record of the genus extends back to the Early Eocene,
Ypresian In the geologic timescale the Ypresian is the oldest age or lowest stratigraphic stage of the Eocene. It spans the time between , is preceded by the Thanetian Age (part of the Paleocene) and is followed by the Eocene Lutetian Age. The Ypresian ...
of northwestern North America, with the species '' Carpinus perryae'' described from fossil fruits found in the Klondike Mountain Formation of Republic, Washington.


Description

Hornbeams are small to medium-sized trees, ''Carpinus betulus'' reaching a height of 32 m. The leaves are
deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, ...
, alternate, and simple with a serrated margin, and typically vary from 3 to 10 cm in length. The flowers are wind-pollinated pendulous catkins, produced in spring. The male and female flowers are on separate catkins, but on the same tree ( monoecious). The fruit is a small nut about 3–6 mm long, held in a leafy bract; the bract may be either trilobed or simple oval, and is slightly asymmetrical. The asymmetry of the seedwing makes it spin as it falls, improving
wind dispersal Biological dispersal refers to both the movement of individuals (animals, plants, fungi, bacteria, etc.) from their birth site to their breeding site ('natal dispersal'), as well as the movement from one breeding site to another ('breeding dis ...
. The shape of the wing is important in the identification of different hornbeam species. Typically, 10–30 seeds are on each seed catkin.


Distribution

The 30–40 species occur across much of the
temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout ...
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 Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area in southern North America and most of Central America. It extends from approximately central Mexico through Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and northern Costa Rica ...
. '' Carpinus betulus'' can be found in Europe, Turkey and Ukraine.


Associated insects

Hornbeams are used as food plants by the
larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. ...
e of some Lepidoptera species, including autumnal moth,
common emerald The common emerald (''Hemithea aestivaria'') is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species is found throughout the Nearctic and Palearctic regions and the Near East. It is mostly commonly found in the southern half of the British Isles. It was ...
, feathered thorn,
walnut sphinx ''Amorpha juglandis'', the walnut sphinx, is the only species in the monotypic moth genus ''Amorpha'', which is in the family Sphingidae, erected by Jacob Hübner in 1809. The species was first described by James Edward Smith in 1797. Distribu ...
, Svensson's copper underwing, and
winter moth :''In North America, "winter moth" usually denotes the invasive species ''Operophtera brumata'', but may also mean refer to a native species, '' Erannis tiliaria'' (linden looper) or '' Operophtera bruceata'' (bruce spanworm).'' The winter moth ( ...
(recorded on European hornbeam) as well as the ''
Coleophora ''Coleophora'' is a very large genus of moths of the family Coleophoridae. It contains some 1,350 described species. The genus is represented on all continents, but the majority are found in the Nearctic and Palaearctic regions. Many authors ...
'' case-bearers ''C. currucipennella'' and ''C. ostryae''.


Applications

Hornbeams yield a very hard
timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, w ...
, giving rise to the name "ironwood".Archived a
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine
Dried
heartwood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin t ...
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 The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...
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
windmill A windmill is a structure that converts wind power into rotational energy using vanes called sails or blades, specifically to mill grain (gristmills), but the term is also extended to windpumps, wind turbines, and other applications, in some ...
s. It is sometimes
coppice Coppicing is a traditional method of woodland management which exploits the capacity of many species of trees to put out new shoots from their stump or roots if cut down. In a coppiced wood, which is called a copse, young tree stems are repeate ...
d to provide hardwood poles. It is also used in parquet flooring and for making chess pieces.


Species

Accepted species: *'' Carpinus betulus'' – European hornbeam - Europe to Western Asia; naturalized in North America. *''
Carpinus caroliniana ''Carpinus caroliniana'', the American hornbeam, is a small hardwood tree in the genus ''Carpinus''. American hornbeam is also known as blue-beech, ironwood, musclewood and muscle beech. It is native to eastern North America, from Minnesota and ...
'' – American hornbeam - Eastern North America *'' Carpinus chuniana'' – Guangdong, Guizhou, Hubei *''
Carpinus cordata ''Carpinus cordata'' is a species of flowering plant belonging to the family Betulaceae. Its native range is Primorye, China, Korea, Japan. References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1038027 Carpinus, cordata ...
'' – Sawa hornbeam - Primorye, China, Korea, Japan *''
Carpinus dayongiana Hornbeams are hardwood trees in the flowering plant genus ''Carpinus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The 30–40 species occur across much of the temperateness, temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Origin of names The common English n ...
'' – Hunan *'' Carpinus eximia'' – Korea *'' Carpinus faginea'' – Nepal, Himalayas of northern India *'' Carpinus fangiana'' – Sichuan, Guangxi *'' Carpinus hebestroma'' – Taiwan *'' Carpinus henryana'' – southern China *'' Carpinus japonica'' Blume – Japanese hornbeam - Japan *'' Carpinus kawakamii'' – Taiwan, southeastern China *'' Carpinus kweichowensis'' – Guizhou, Yunnan *'' Carpinus langaoensis'' – Shaanxi, China *'' Carpinus laxiflora'' – Aka-shide hornbeam - Japan, Korea *'' Carpinus lipoensis'' – Guizhou *'' Carpinus londoniana'' – southern China, northern Indochina *'' Carpinus luochengensis'' – Guangxi *'' Carpinus mengshanensis'' – Shandong *'' Carpinus microphylla'' – Guangxi *'' Carpinus mollicoma'' – Tibet, Sichuan, Yunnan *''
Carpinus monbeigiana Hornbeams are hardwood trees in the flowering plant genus ''Carpinus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The 30–40 species occur across much of the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Origin of names The common English name ''hornbeam' ...
'' – Tibet, Yunnan *'' Carpinus omeiensis'' – Sichuan, Guizhou *'' Carpinus orientalis'' – Oriental hornbeam - Hungary, Balkans, Italy, Crimea, Turkey, Iran, Caucasus *'' Carpinus paohsingensis'' – China *†'' Carpinus perryae'' -
Ypresian In the geologic timescale the Ypresian is the oldest age or lowest stratigraphic stage of the Eocene. It spans the time between , is preceded by the Thanetian Age (part of the Paleocene) and is followed by the Eocene Lutetian Age. The Ypresian ...
, Klondike Mountain Formation *'' Carpinus polyneura'' – southern China *'' Carpinus pubescens'' – China, Vietnam *'' Carpinus purpurinervis'' – Guizhou, Guangxi *'' Carpinus putoensis'' – Putuo hornbeam - Zhejiang *'' Carpinus rankanensis'' – Taiwan *'' Carpinus rupestris'' – Yunnan, Guangxi, Guizhou *'' Carpinus shensiensis'' – Gansu, Shaanxi *'' Carpinus shimenensis'' – Hunan *†'' Carpinus tengshongensis'' –
Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58Yunnan Province Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the ...
*'' Carpinus tropicalis'' – Mexico, Central America *'' Carpinus tsaiana'' – Yunnan, Guizhou *'' Carpinus tschonoskii'' – Chonowski's hornbeam - China, Korea, Japan *'' Carpinus turczaninovii'' – Korean hornbeam, - China, Korea, Japan *'' Carpinus viminea'' – China, Korea, Himalayas, northern Indochina


References


External links

* {{Authority control Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus