Outdoor Gardens Featured Plant: American Hornbeam

Serrated, dark green leaves during the summer months give way to lovely shades of yellow, orange, and red in the fall. Winter exposes the beautiful blue-gray bark and long, fluted ridges of the trunk and larger branches. The distinctive fluting of the wood is reminiscent of muscles and gives rise to the common name musclewood for this tree. Don’t be alarmed if you see Carpinus trees retaining their leaves during the winter months. The American hornbeam exhibits a curious phenomenon called marcescence, or the retention of withered leaves. (There is scant scientific evidence for why this occurs in some tree species.) 

You’ll find Carpinus caroliniana trees throughout the Gardens. We recently planted a hedge of hornbeams comprised of 20 seed-grown trees, closely spaced, near the Monument Patio. It is developing into an excellent screen. In addition, we planted a number of trees from a seed strain of American hornbeam, called J. N. Strain, which has been hand selected for brilliant fall color. Planting seed grown trees in the Gardens helps to promote genetic diversity in our plantings. I hope you check out these beautiful trees during your next visit!