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Ostrya is a genus of eight to ten small deciduous trees belonging to the hazel family Corylaceae. Its common name is Hophornbeam in American English and Hop-hornbeam in British English.
The genus is native in southern Europe, southwest and eastern Asia, and North and Central America. They have a conical or irregular crown and a scaly, rough bark. They have alternate and double-toothed birch-like leaves 3-10 cm long. The flowers are produced in spring, with male catkins 5-10 cm long and female catkins 2-5 cm long. The fruit form in pendulous clusters 3-8 cm long with 6-20 seeds; each seed is a small nut 2-4 mm long, fully enclosed in a bladder-like involucre. form of bladderlike seed-bearing pods.
The wood is very hard and heavy; the name Ostrya is derived from the Greek word 'ostrua', "bone-like", referring to the very hard wood.
Species
- Ostrya carpinifolia Scop. - European Hop-hornbeam
- Ostrya chisosensis Correll - Chisos Hophornbeam, Big Bend Hophornbeam
- Ostrya guatemalensis (Winkler) Rose - Central American Hophornbeam
- Ostrya japonica Sarg. - Japanese Hop-hornbeam
- Ostrya knowltonii Coville - Knowlton Hophornbeam, Western Hophornbeam, Wolf Hophornbeam
- Ostrya multinervis Rehd. - Central Chinese Hop-hornbeam
- Ostrya rehderiana Chun - Zhejiang Hop-hornbeam
- Ostrya virginiana (Mill.) K. Koch - Eastern Hophornbeam, American Hophornbeam, Ironwood.
- Ostrya yunnanensis Hu - Yunnan Hop-hornbeam
- †Ostrya oregoniana (fossil)
References
Rushforth, K. 1985. Ostrya. The Plantsman 7: 208-212.
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