HOP-HORNBEAM

any of about seven species of ornamental trees constituting the genus Ostrya of the birch family (Betulaceae), native to Eurasia and North America. A hop-hornbeam has shaggy, scaling bark and thin, translucent, green leaves with hairy leafstalks. The hoplike, green fruits are composed of many bladderlike scales, each bearing a small, flat nut. The European hop-hornbeam ( Ostrya carpinifolia) and the Japanese hop-hornbeam (O. japonica) may reach 21 m (70 feet); the other species are much smaller. The eastern, or American, hop-hornbeam (O. virginiana) is known as ironwood for its hard, heavy wood, used locally for fence posts and small articles such as tool handles.