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THE GARDEN SAGEA library of living things
Trees & woodland lore · Western North Carolina field companion

American hop-hornbeam

Ostrya virginiana

American hop-hornbeam leaves opening in spring. Study the double teeth, strong parallel side veins, and alternate attachment.
American hop-hornbeam leaves opening in spring. Study the double teeth, strong parallel side veins, and alternate attachment.☀ Full sun · ◐ Part sun or part shadeWilfredor ↗ · CC0
Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; no diagnostic content altered.

Tough native understory tree for dry shade and rocky soils; slow but durable.

Sun Exposure
Full sun–shade–part shade
MATURE HEIGHT (FT)
25–40
MATURE WIDTH (FT)
20–30
BLOOM SEASON
Mid spring
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Get to know this plant.

Identification clue 1

Doubly toothed oval leaves

Identification clue 2

Thin shredding bark strips

Identification clue 3

Inflated hop-like fruit clusters

Read the leaves

Prominent parallel side veins run to teeth; smaller teeth occur on the larger teeth.

More growing details

Read the bark

Thin narrow strips loosen from the trunk, unlike hornbeam's smooth muscular bark.

Fruit & seed

Each small nut sits inside a pale inflated papery sac, clustered like hops.

Winter character

Fine shredding bark plus lingering hop-like fruits offer useful winter clues.

Origin & place

The species occurs naturally in the southern Appalachian region; a planted specimen is not evidence of wild local origin.

Compare with American hornbeam

Hornbeam has smooth fluted bark and fruits beneath leafy bracts rather than inflated sacs.

WNC Notes

Tough native understory tree for dry shade and rocky soils; slow but durable.

Sun Exposure

Full sun–shade–part shade

MATURE HEIGHT (FT)

25–40

MATURE WIDTH (FT)

20–30

BLOOM SEASON

Mid spring

BLOOM COLOR

Catkins

FALL / WINTER COLOR

Yellow-brown

Wet-Soil Tolerance

Moderate–high

Drought Tolerance

Low

LOOK CLOSELY

Two views, a closer look.

Place two photographs beside one another. Compare the overall plant with leaves, flowers, or bark when those views are available. Captions identify what each photograph actually shows. Images are not at the same scale; species references may show different cultivars.

American hop-hornbeam leaves opening in spring. Study the double teeth, strong parallel side veins, and alternate attachment.
American hop-hornbeam leaves opening in spring. Study the double teeth, strong parallel side veins, and alternate attachment.☀ Full sun · ◐ Part sun or part shadeWilfredor ↗ · CC0
Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; no diagnostic content altered.
Hop-like clusters of inflated fruiting bracts — species reference; cultivar identity not inferred.
Hop-like clusters of inflated fruiting bracts — species reference; cultivar identity not inferred.☀ Full sun · ◐ Part sun or part shadeEric Hunt ↗ · CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; full original composition retained.

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