Herb: Hop Hornbeam


Latin name: Ostrya carpinifolia


Family: Betulaceae (Birch Family)



Description of the plant:



Plant:
Deciduous
Tree

Height:
15 m
(49 feet)

Flowering:
September

Habitat of Hop Hornbeam:

Deciduous forests and scrub, open pine forests, very often on dry and stony limestone hills from 50 - 1700 metres in Turkey.

Other uses of the herb:

Wood - hard, very tough, close grained. Used for general carpentry and for charcoal.

Propagation of Hop Hornbeam:

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame, it normally germinates in spring. The germination rate is variable but usually good. "Green" seed, harvested when the embryo has fully formed but before the outer coat has dried, sown immediately in a cold frame germinates very well. Stored seed requires stratification, 3 months warm then 5 months cold usually works well but germination can take 18 months. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the cold frame for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.

Cultivation of the herb:

Deciduous forests and scrub, open pine forests, very often on dry and stony limestone hills from 50 - 1700 metres in Turkey.

Medicinal use of Hop Hornbeam:

None known

Known hazards of Ostrya carpinifolia:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.