The Dancing Tree

My dancing tree kicking up her heels

There is a lovely tree in my yard that grows in a awkward spot on the edge of the driveway, my neighbors yard and a small wildflower garden.

It is a naturally occurring understory tree in dry woodlands like Clay and Limestone. The Eastern Hophornbeam or Ostrya virginiana is often called ironwood and frequently mistaken for a Carpinus caroliniana!

It planted itself among the oaks, Hackberry and Eastern Red Cedar pioneers!



Ostrya is one of several under appreciated native trees that would be lovely in our gardens. If only we knew about them!

They will never be seen in a big box store and it's unlikely they'll to be found in most nurseries. More often then not, we have to go to specialty nurseries or growers to find these under-appreciated gems.

Hophornbeam is a native of the eastern half of the US and Canada; including most of the midwestern states and Texas. It's a small tree, rarely growing taller then 30 feet or so. An easy tree that thrives in the dry mesic soil of my garden. It doesn't mind rocky slopes or ridges. It's very shade tolerate, which makes it a perfect small tree to thrive under larger oaks or pines. I can see it as a specimen along walks, in parks and of course, in a naturalized or woodland garden.

The crown is broad or vase shape. As it ages the branches become irregular....and have a beautiful layered grace to them. The attractive shape and form looks lovely on the edge of the wildflower garden and my neighbor's lawn. But, one large branch dipped onto the driveway and had to be severely pruned to accommodate cars. But now you can see the dancer in the tree! Look carefully, she's kicking her leg up, while reaching for the sky. (This is a right brain activity!)

O virginiana (Betulaceae family) has serrated leaves that resemble an elm. The stems are very slender, giving the tree a fine textured appearance during the winter season.

The fall foliage turns a most becoming yellow....and when the wind blows they flutter and

bounce a golden light around the garden.

Sometimes the coppery brown leaves stay the entire winter...accenting the textured bark and twisted and knobby trunk.

twisted and knobby trunk

It's quite striking in a winter garden.


It has both male and female flowers (monoecious)...so it needs no pollinators, just the wind.

The male flowers are little catkins

that persist all winter...

The female flowers

have little papery sacks to hold the seeds...

I like this tree~~~it would be a nice choice, if you wanted to add a few natives to your woodlands or wilder areas! It plays nicely with other...like Redbuds, Japanese Maples and oaks. It's not a picky grower and will tolerate dry shade and even high winds. It isn't bothered by most insects or fungal diseases. It's a gem of a tree!

At Clay and Limestone, is oversees the witch hazels, hypericum and dogwoods. At the ground level are native wildflowers like Dutchmen's Britches, Wild Ginger, Spring Beauties, Toothwort, False Rue Anemone and Iris Cristata...

Spring planting under Ostrya virginiana

In the forests and woodlands, the buds and catkins of Eastern Hophornbeam are important winter food for ruffed grouse. It's a preferred food for sharp-tailed grouse and wild turkey and is eaten to a lesser extent by bobwhite, red and gray squirrels, cottontails, white-tailed deer and ring-necked pheasant.

Suburban dwellers, like me, will appreciate that it provides food for purple finch, rose-breasted grosbeak and downy woodpeckers. It also is a host plant for the larva of several winter moths.

What do you think? Is Hophornbeam worth the effort to seek it out? I believe so... it's an appreciated gem in my garden~~what gems are hiding in yours?

Gail

Go here for a list of nurseries selling native trees and possibly Ostrya. The photos in this post are from earlier this fall.