Height: 20-30 feet; 10-18 foot spread
Light: Sun to light shade
Soil: Moist or dry, well drained
Bloom: Spring catkins; green-gray sac-like pods persist through winter
Leaf: Showy, yellow fall
Landscape: Butterfly or native garden; shade or understory tree
Resistance: Deer (moderate), storm damage, wind
More information and native range here
Fun fact: Ironwood refers to its former use in making airplane propellers.
Hop Hornbeam, Ironwood
Pollinator value: Medium. Nutlets eaten by birds and small mammals; songbirds eat invertebrates hiding in the bark.
Hop Hornbeam forms a beautiful canopy with rich, green leaves and intriguing fruit set. A good, reliable, small tree for sunny or even shady locations.
Good for a small yard or as an understory tree. Grows in most any conditions although foliage is denser in full sun. Even so, it's one of those rare understory trees that also grows in dry shade.
Seeds ripen into papery pods which resemble hops strung together along the branches.