Ironwood, Hophornbeam, Ostrya virginiana (Mill.) Koch, Native Minnesota Tree, Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden, Eastern Hophornbeam, American Hophornbeam

	Plants of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden
	Common Name	Scientific Name	Plant Family	Garden Location	Prime Season
	Hophornbeam	Ostrya virginiana (Mill.) Koch	Birch	Woodland	Spring to Autumn
Other names and notes	(Ironwood, Eastern Hophornbeam; American Hophornbeam). A tree of medium height (20 to 50"), usually never more than one foot in diameter, with a tapering crown, leaves are oval or elliptical with a distinctive double sawtooth edge. It flowers in spring before the leaves appear. Male flowers are small and greenish. Female flowers are reddish-green in hanging cylindrical clusters. The fruit develops as a white to yellowish hanging cluster, maturing to brown, containing small brown nutlets. These trees will develop as successful understory trees.


Above: The identifying double sawtooth edge. Below: Bark	Late July seed development.	Mid-August seed development

Notes: This plant is indigenous to the Garden area. Eloise Butler catalogued it on April 29, 1907. It is native to much of Minnesota except counties in the SW, the upper NW and the Arrowhead region. The common name "Ironwood" is from the hardness of the wood. A straight on ax cut will usually fail. "Hophornbeam" is from the resemblance of the seed pods to the hops that are used in brewing beer.

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References: Plant characteristics are generally from sources 15, 16, 30, 31, 33, W2 & W3. Distribution principally from W2 and also 31, 34 and W1. Planting history generally from 1, 4 & 4a. Other sources by specific reference. See Reference List for details.

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