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Native Plant Society of Texas

Hornbeam

Carpinus caroliniana

Other common name(s):

Ironwood, Musclewood, Blue Beech, American Hornbeam, Water Beech

Family:

Betulaceae (Alder Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

This map uses data from the US EPA. EPA  servers have been offline frequently so maps may not display. We are working on a solution.

Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, Western Gulf Coastal Plain
Northern Humid Gulf Coastal Prairies
Flatwoods, Floodplains and Low Terraces3, Pleistocene Fluvial Terraces, Red River Bottomlands, Southern Tertiary Uplands, Tertiary Uplands

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Tree

Height

20
to
30
ft.

Spread

20
to
30
ft.

Leaf Retention

Deciduous

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Loam, Moist, Poor Drainage, Sand

Light Requirement

Part Shade, Shade

Water Requirement

Medium

Native Habitat

Riparian, Woodland

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

Brown, Green, Red

Bloom Season

Spring

Seasonal Interest

Fall Color, Larval Host, Nectar, Seeds

Wildlife Benefit

Birds, Butterflies, Small Mammals

Maintenance

Works best as an understory tree in low, shady places, though it will adapt to drier, sunnier sites. It will tolerate periodic flooding. Leaves are occasionally attacked by black mold. Slow growing, don’t prune. The name Hornbeam and Ironwood refer to the extreme hardness of wood. Native habitat: stream and river banks, flood plains, bottomland, understory of moist, shaded woods.

Description

Blooms March-May. Multi-trunked tree with smooth bluish gray bark with bulges that look like muscles. Leaves resemble elm leaves, with double-toothed edges, yellow fall color. Flowers are borne in green catkins. Male and female flowers are found on the same tree: male catkins are 2 – 6 cm long with boat-shaped scales and develop in fall but remain enclosed in a bud until spring, female catkins are 1 – 2.5 cm long with hairy scales. The fruit is a green nutlet, with a 3-lobed bract like an umbrella over it, hanging in chain-like clusters. Birds and mammals eat seeds, catkins, and inner bark. Larval host: Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Red-spotted Purple, and Striped Hairstreak.

References

Learn about how to propagate Texas native plants.

Material Treatment Method Collection References
Seed No Treatment Sow directly in the soil in the fall. Collect nutlets in late summer or early fall when bracts have turned a pale, greenish-brown. Spread on screens to dry, then beat inside a bag to separate seeds from chaff. https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CACA18
Seed Stratification Stratify for 2-3 months at 41 degrees. Sow in Spring. Collect nutlets in late summer or early fall when bracts have turned a pale, greenish-brown. Spread on screens to dry, then beat inside a bag to separate seeds from chaff. https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CACA18

About the Region

2026 Fall Symposium Logo

This low-elevations region of Texas extends inland from the barrier islands, about 60 or so miles, and stretches from Brownsville to Louisiana. In total, it covers about 9.5 million acres, with a high point of 150 feet in elevation. More than 1000 species of plants can be found in this region. On the southern end, species more common in Mexico (such as Sabal mexicana) and Central America occur.

The barrier islands provide us with dune systems, and clay flats to the inland side, which have species found in these areas alone. Many plants here, such as Ipomoea pes-caprae (beach morning glory), can be found throughout tropical regions of the globe. I’ve encountered the same species on the beaches of Guam.

Once inland, vast marshes and wet prairies occur. Occasionally, oak (Quercus fusiformis) groves can be found. Common grasses include species of Bothriochloa, Paspalum, and Sporobolus; eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides); and switchgrass (Panicum species). Many rivers and creeks cut through the Gulf Prairies, and along these riparian areas various species of trees, Sabal minor, and other plants adapted to clay soils can be found. Due to overgrazing, farming, and fire suppression, woody species such as mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) and huisache (Acacia farnesiana), and invasive species such as chinaberry (Melia azedarach), Brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius), and Chinese tallow (Sapium sebiferum) have increased and displaced our native flora.

Source: Wildflowers of Texas by Michael Eason