Carpinus betulus

Seed catkins
 Old hornbeam coppice stools left uncut for at least 100 years. Coldfall Wood, London
It is a deciduous small to medium-size tree reaching heights of 15–25 metres (49–82 ft), rarely 30 m (98 ft), and often has a fluted and crooked trunk. The bark is smooth and greenish-grey, even in old trees. The buds, unlike those of the beech, are 10 mm (0.39 in) long at the most, and pressed close to the twig. The leaves are alternate, 4–9 cm (1.6–3.5 in) long, with prominent veins giving a distinctive corrugated texture, and a serrated margin. It is monoecious, and the wind-pollinated male and female catkins appear in early summer after the leaves. The fruit is a small 7–8 mm (0.28–0.31 in) long nut, partially surrounded by a three-pointed leafy involucre 3–4 cm (1.2–1.6 in) long; it matures in autumn.
The wood is heavy and hard, and is used for tools and building constructions. It also burns hot and slowly, making it very suitable for firewood. This was the reason for lopping and hence indirectly the saving of Epping Forest, where the hornbeam was a favoured pollarding tree.
Hornbeam was frequently coppiced and pollarded in the past in England. It is still infrequently managed using these traditional methods, but mainly for non-commercial conservation purposes. As a woodland tree traditionally managed in this way, it is particularly frequent in the ancient woodlands of south Essex, Hertfordshire and north Kent where it typically occupies more than half of most ancient woods and wood pastures.
See also: List of Lepidoptera that feed on Carpinus
The leaves provide food for some animals, including Lepidoptera such as the case-bearer moth Coleophora anatipennella.
There are a number of notable forests where C. betulus is a dominant tree species, among which are:

Epping Forest, Essex/London, UK
Halltorp Nature Reserve, Öland, Sweden

3-6 hours of sun per day, with protection from intense mid-day sun

Water sparingly, allowing the mix to nearly dry out between watering.

Carpinus Betulus

Carpinus betulus

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