Identification Features

• Bark: Grey with a hint of silver, smooth, developing vertical lines/fissures which give the overall impression of elephant skin.
• Twigs: Fine, grey-brown, partly hairy at first.
• Buds: Small (4-7mm), Claw-like, slender and pointed, arranged alternately.

Description/General Character:
A general upright character with densely packed, fine branches and a muscular trunk.

Range:
Native to southern UK, Europe and Asia Minor.

Habitat:
Can appear in pure stands. Was heavily coppiced in places. Tolerates heavy clay soils, and can be dominant there.

Other Observations:
Male catkins are enclosed in buds during the winter, after which they emerge yellowy-green with red-brown scales, with a similar character to those of birch and alder. The timber is very hard. “Hornbeam” derives from horn meaning hard, and beamthe Anglo-Saxon word for tree (c.f. beams in your roof and the German for tree - baum).