# Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus)

> A tough tree of up to 30 m with fluted grey trunk, pleated oval leaves and papery winged nutlets eaten by hawfinches. It is the hedging, pleaching and pollarding tree of choice because it tolerates hard clipping, clay and shade, and young hedges keep their brown leaves through winter. Widely planted as a street tree in continental Europe and increasingly in Britain.

Source: https://treerm.org/trees/carpinus-betulus · Updated 2026-11-08 · License CC BY 4.0

## Facts

- Also called: European hornbeam, Common hornbeam
- Family: Betulaceae
- Type: Broadleaf, drops leaves
- Mature height: 25 m; spread 15 m
- Growth: Medium growth; lives about 300 years
- USDA hardiness zones: 4 to 8
- Light: Sun or part shade
- Water: Moderate water
- Soil: Heavy clay, loam or chalk; tolerates wet winters, compaction and shade
- Native range: Native across much of Europe from south-east England, France and Spain to Poland, Ukraine, the Balkans, Türkiye, the Caucasus and northern Iran.

**Benefits:** Shade, Wildlife, Birds, Fall color, Long lived, Storm resistant

**Good for:** Hedgerow, Street tree, Screening, parks, Timber

**Watch out for:** No major cautions

## Care

Plant bare-root in winter; very forgiving once established. Clip hedges in late summer; pollard or prune in winter. Few problems; grey squirrels strip bark and Phytophthora species can affect it. Very hard wood burns and turns well.

## Where it stands

- **Native:** Germany; France; ENG, United Kingdom (Native to the south of England; planted elsewhere); Hungary; Poland
- **Adapted:** Ireland (Not native; planted)
- **Recommended:** Sacramento, CA, United States (On the Sacramento Tree Foundation Shady 80 recommended trees list); Denver, CO, United States (On the Denver Office of the City Forester Approved Street Tree List); Washington, DC, United States (On the Casey Trees Tree Rebate eligible species list); Boston, MA, United States (On the City of Boston Urban Forestry Division recommended public street trees list); New York, NY, United States (On the NYC Parks Street Tree Planting Approved Species List)

## Sources

- https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/british-trees/a-z-of-british-trees/hornbeam/
- https://www.gbif.org/species/2875818
- https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=277824
- https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/carpinus-betulus/