Back to main Search Page

Carpinus betulus - L.

Hornbeam

Author	L.	Botanical references	11, 17, 200
Family	Betulaceae	Genus	Carpinus
Synonyms
Known Hazards	None known
Range	Europe, including Britain, from Sweden to the Pyrenees east to Iran in W. Asia.
Habitat	Woodlands and hedgerows on sandy or clay loams[17], preferring heavier soils[13].
Edibility Rating	0 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	2 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

A decidious Tree growing to 25m by 20m at a medium rate.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soil. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats

Woodland Garden; Canopy; Deep Shade; Hedge;

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

Bach; Haemostatic; Ophthalmic.

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'[209].

Other Uses

Dye; Fuel; Hedge; Wood.

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[11, 29, 186]. They should not be clipped in spring since they will bleed profusely[200]. A yellow dye is obtained from the bark[115]. Wood - heavy, close grained, hard, very tough, very durable, not very durable according to another report. Used for flooring, cogs, tools, piano mechanisms etc[1, 11, 13, 46, 115]. A good fuel[6].

Cultivation details

Thrives in any good loam, including chalk[1, 11], it does not demand much light[186]. Prefers a deep open loam[1] and does well on damp clays[186]. Succeeds in all but the most acid soils[186]. Dormant trees are very cold tolerant, the young growth is not usually damaged by late spring frosts[186]. The trees cast a deep shade[98, 186]. A very ornamental plant[1]. Trees are shallow-rooted[7]. The hornbeam has 28 species of associated insects[24]. Trees take 10 - 20 years from seed before they produce seed[98] and about 100 years to reach maturity[186]. At one time this tree was commonly pollarded or coppiced for its wood and for fuel[11, 13, 186].

Propagation

Seed - best sown in an outdoors seedbed as soon as it is ripe[78]. Germination is usually good, though it may take 18 months[80]. 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[80]. 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%[98]. Pre-treat stored seed with 4 weeks warm and 12 weeks cold stratification and sow in a cold frame[98]. 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.

Links

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[6] Mabey. R. Plants with a Purpose. Fontana 1979 ISBN 0-00-635555-2
Details on some of the useful wild plants of Britain. Poor on pictures but otherwise very good.

[7] Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5
Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[13] Triska. Dr. Hamlyn Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn 1975 ISBN 0-600-33545-3
Very interesting reading, giving some details of plant uses and quite a lot of folk-lore.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[24] Baines. C. Making a Wildlife Garden. 0
Fairly good with lots of ideas about creating wildlife areas in the garden.

[29] Shepherd. F.W. Hedges and Screens. Royal Horticultural Society. 1974 ISBN 0900629649
A small but informative booklet giving details of all the hedging plants being grown in the R.H.S. gardens at Wisley in Surrey.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[78] Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.

[80] McMillan-Browse. P. Hardy Woody Plants from Seed. Grower Books 1985 ISBN 0-901361-21-6
Does not deal with many species but it is very comprehensive on those that it does cover. Not for casual reading.

[98] Gordon. A. G. and Rowe. D. C. f. Seed Manual for Ornamental Trees and Shrubs. 0
Very comprehensive guide to growing trees and shrubs from seed. Not for the casual reader.

[115] Johnson. C. P. The Useful Plants of Great Britain. 0
Written about a hundred years ago, but still a very good guide to the useful plants of Britain.

[186] Beckett. G. and K. Planting Native Trees and Shrubs. Jarrold 1979
An excellent guide to native British trees and shrubs with lots of details about the plants.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[209] Chancellor. P. M. Handbook of the Bach Flower Remedies C. W. Daniel Co. Ltd. 1985 ISBN 85207 002 0
Details the 38 remedies plus how and where to prescribe them.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

Carpinus betulus

Colin Munro Thu Jul 31 2008

Where I live we have a number of hornbeams and they seem to be dying off. The leaves turn yellow and the foliage wilts and within a year the tree is dead. Is there a virus or a disease at the moment that is causing the premature death of hornbeams?

Carpinus betulus

Peter Grzelinski Mon Jul 20 2009

We have a dead tree in our garden, it was fine last year. there are two more in the village with exactly the same problem, completely dried out and bark is split. Have tried to find the cause but to no avail. Can anyone help?

Add a comment/link:

Discussion Monitor

To have posts to this page mailed to you enter your email address here:

(Your email address will not appear on the webpage or be passed on to third parties).