Home > Ostrya

Ostrya is a genus of eight small deciduous trees belonging to the Birch family Betulaceae. Its common name is Hophornbeam in American English and Hop Hornbeam in British English.

There has been some confusion about the family of this genus. It used to be classified under the family Corylaceae. This family name is no longer an accepted family, but just a "nomen conservandum" (name to be retained and authorized for use by the International Botanical Congress). The Angiosperm Phylogeny Group now classifies Corylaceae in the family Betulaceae.

The hophornbeams occur in Eurasia, North America, Mexico, and eastern Asia and Japan.

These are small trees with conical crown and a scaly, rough bark. They have alternate and double-toothed birchlike leaves. In spring, they form staminate male catkins. They form pendant clusters of bladderlike seed-bearing pods.

Its wood is very hard and heavy.

The name 'Ostrya' is derived from the Greek word ostrua, meaning : a tree with very hard wood.

1 Species

• Ostrya carpinifolia : Hop Hornbeam, European Hop Hornbeam
• Ostrya chisosensis : Chisos Hophornbeam, Big Bend Hophornbeam
• Ostrya japonica : Japanese Hop Hornbeam
• Ostrya knowltonii : Knowlton Hophornbeam, Western Hophornbeam, Wolf Hophornbeam
• Ostrya mandshurica is a synonym of Carpinus cordata
• Ostrya oregoniana Fossil
• Ostrya virginiana : Eastern Hophornbeam, American Hophornbeam, Ironwood, Deerwood, Hardhack, Leverwood.

2 External link

• an update to the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group