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European hornbeam

Carpinus betulus

Common names:
European hornbeam, upright hornbeam, common hornbeam

Content Detail

European hornbeams are excellent in groupings around large buildings and also useful as screens, hedges, and windbreak trees. The European hornbeam has densely textured foliage and handsome, slate-gray smooth to fluted bark. The dark green leaves turn an attractive yellow in the fall, and the bark and buds are ornamental in winter.

  • Family (English) Birch
  • Family (botanic) Betulaceae
  • Planting site City parkway, Residential and parks, Wide median
  • Tree or plant type Tree
  • Foliage Deciduous (seasonally loses leaves)
  • Native locale Non-native
  • Size range Medium tree (25-40 feet), Large tree (more than 40 feet)
  • Mature height 40-60 feet
  • Mature width 30-40 feet
  • Light exposure Full sun (6 hrs direct light daily), Partial sun / shade (4-6 hrs light daily), Full shade (4 hrs or less of light daily)
  • Hardiness zones Zone 4, Zone 5 (Northern Illinois), Zone 6 (City of Chicago), Zone 7, Zone 8
  • Soil preference Moist, well-drained soil
  • Tolerances Alkaline soil, Dry sites
  • Season of interest early winter, midwinter, late winter, late summer, early fall, mid fall
  • Flower color and fragrance Inconspicuous
  • Shape or form Narrow, Pyramidal, Round, Upright
  • Growth rate Slow
  • Transplants well Moderate
  • Wildlife Birds, Insect pollinators, Small mammals
  • Has cultivars Yes

Native geographic location and habitat:

This is native to Europe and Asia.

Bark color and texture:

Bark is smooth and steel gray, but having a muscled character to its appearance. Older trees become more fluted.

Leaf or needle arrangement, size, shape, texture, and color:

Leaves are simple, alternate, oblong, doubly serrated, with prominent veins and grow 2 to 5 inches long. Leaves are dark green changing to yellow late in season.

Flower arrangement, shape, and size:

Flowers are inconspicuous. Tiny male flowers bloom in pendulous catkins in April and small female flowers bloom near the ends of the twigs.

Fruit, cone, nut, and seed descriptions:

Light brown nutlets mature in October, with a  three-lobed bract appearing as an umbrella over the nuts.  Nutlets and bracts hang in dangling clusters. Bracts change from light green to yellow in fall.

Plant care:

European hornbeam is adaptable to various soil pH and requires minimal pruning.

List of pests, diseases, and tolerances:

No serious problems.

Emerald Avenue® European hornbeam (Carpinus betulus ‘JFS-KW1CB’):

This variety grows 40 feet high and 30 feet wide with a broadly pyramidal habit.  Good heat tolerance.

Frans Fontaine European hornbeam (Carpinus betulus ‘Frans Fontaine’):

This variety grows 35 feet high and 15 feet wide with a narrow habit and maintains a fastigiate form longer than ‘Fastigiata’.

Upright European hornbeam (Carpinus betulus ‘Fastigiata’):

This variety grows 30 to 40 feet high and 20 to 30 feet wide with an oval, narrow habit.

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