Carpinus caroliniana (Blue beech): Information.

Identifying characteristics:
This species is the only one of this genus native to North America. The bluebeech, or musclewood, is a large shrub or small tree seldom taller than 30 feet with a short, often crooked trunk and a bushy, flat-topped crown. The dull, dark green leaves are deciduous, simple, alternate, oval and 2 to 4 inches long, with the veins running directly to the teeth. The fall color can be a spectacular canary yellow or scarlet if the tree is from selected parent stock or in a favorable location. Flowers form as male and female catkins, appearing with the leaves in early spring. The fruit is a small, one-seeded flat, unwinged nut attached to the base of a leafy bract. The bracts are seemingly strung together and dangle in clusters from the branches. The leaf scars are half-round and very small, each with 3 bundle scars. The buds are ovoid with about 12 scales in 4 vertical rows. The bud scales are brown or red with white margins. The bark is thin, smooth, blue-gray and often marked with distinct brown bands. The trunk is distinctly fluted or muscled.

Similar species:

Ecology:
Distribution: Bluebeech grows throughout southern Canada, the eastern and midwestern US, Mexico, Guatamala and Belize.

Habitat: It is an understory tree, very shade tolerant, but will grow in full sun if provided with sufficient moisture. This species prefers the deep, rich, moist soils of bottomlands and riverbanks. It is a slow-growing tree, hardy to zone 3 and will tolerate many stressful urban conditions, including air pollution. Although pests and diseases are not a problem, the foliage is more susceptible to attack than other species of this genus.

Uses:
Wood: Although the close-grained wood is hard and heavy, the trees are not commercially important. The wood has been used for objects that require exceptional strength: mallets, levers and tool handles. The pioneers used this wood for bowls and dishes as it is not subject to splitting or cracking.

Wildlife: Birds, squirrels and rodents eat the seeds, buds and catkins, and white-tailed deer occasionally browse the leaves and twigs.

Horticulture: The bluebeech is an excellent tree to plant under taller, towering trees and could be more widely used as an ornamental in eastern and central Iowa. The leaves keep their fresh green appearance all summer.