Carpinus betulus
| Carpinus betulus | |
| Light: |    |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 82' |
| Width: | 66' |
| Speed: | Moderate |
| Blooms: | Mid Spring-Late Spring |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Shelter | |
| Medicinal Rating: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Carpinus betulus (common name: hornbeam)
Propagation: Seed - best sown in an outdoors seedbed as soon as it is ripe[1]. Germination is usually good, though it may take 18 months[2]. If collected whilst still 'green' (after the seed is ripe but before it has dried fully on the plant) and sown immediately it should germinate in the following spring[2]. Grow the plants on for two years in the seedbed and then plant them out into their permanent positions in the winter. The average seed viability is around 65%[3].
Pre-treat stored seed with 4 weeks warm and 12 weeks cold stratification and sow in a cold frame[3]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a cold frame until they are at least 15cm tall before planting them into their permanent positions.
Cultivation: Thrives in any good loam, including chalk[4][5], it does not demand much light[6]. Prefers a deep open loam[4] and does well on damp clays[6]. Succeeds in all but the most acid soils[6].
Dormant trees are very cold tolerant, the young growth is not usually damaged by late spring frosts[6]. The trees cast a deep shade[3][6].
A very ornamental plant[4]. Trees are shallow-rooted[7].
The hornbeam has 28 species of associated insects[8].
Trees take 10 - 20 years from seed before they produce seed[3] and about 100 years to reach maturity[6].
At one time this tree was commonly pollarded or coppiced for its wood and for fuel[5][9][6].
Range: Europe, including Britain, from Sweden to the Pyrenees east to Iran in W. Asia.
Habitat: Woodlands and hedgerows on sandy or clay loams[10], preferring heavier soils[9].
Medicinal: The leaves are haemostatic[7]. They are used in external compresses to stop bleeding and heal wounds[7]. A distilled water made from the leaves is an effective eye lotion[7]. The leaves are harvested in August and dried for later use[7].
The plant is used in Bach flower remedies - the keywords for prescribing it are 'Tiredness', 'Weariness' and 'Mental and physical exhaustion'[11].
Usage: Plants can be grown as a medium to tall hedge, they retain their dead leaves throughout the winter if clipped at least once a year in late summer[5][12][6]. They should not be clipped in spring since they will bleed profusely[13].
A yellow dye is obtained from the bark[14].
Wood - heavy, close grained, hard, very tough, very durable, not very durable according to another report. Used for flooring, cogs, tools, piano mechanisms etc[4][5][9][15][14]. A good fuel[16].
Pollinators: Wind
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Seed Ripens: Late Fall
Flower Type: Monoecious
Heavy Clay: Grows in heavy-clay soils.
Links
References
- ↑ Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 McMillan-Browse, Philip. Hardy Woody Plants from Seed. Grower Books, 1985.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Gordon, A and D Rowe. Seed Manual for Ornamental Trees and Shrubs. 1982.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 Beckett, Kenneth and Gillian Beckett. Planting Native Trees and Shrubs. Jarrold, 1979.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Chiej, Roberto. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald, 1984.
- ↑ Baines, Chris. Making a Wildlife Garden.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Triska, Jan. Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn, 1975.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Chancellor, Philip. Illustrated Handbook of the Bach Flower Remedies. C W Daniel, 1985.
- ↑ Shepherd, F. W.. Hedges and Screens. Royal Horticultural Society, 1974.
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Sowerby, John. The Useful Plants of Great Britain. 1862.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Mabey, Richard. Plants with a Purpose. Fontana, 1979.