Illinois Natural History Survey - University of Illinois

Carpinus caroliniana
American hornbeam, Musclewood
Taxonomy

Synonyms: Carpinus caroliniana var. caroliniana, Carpinus caroliniana var. virginiana

Subspecific taxa:

Classification:

Other taxonomic & nomenclature sources: USDA PlantsITISThe Plant ListIPNI

Images

   
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Species Distribution
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County Map Legend
Absent:
Not known from county
Medium confidence:
Medium or unknown confidence;
often old records or unverifiable observations
Medium-high confidence:
Often observations by expert botanists
High confidence:
Often vouchered herbarium records
Planted / introduced:
Native species introduced outside historic range,
or only in planted locations within county (e.g., restorations)
Historic / extirpated:
Only historic records for the species; likely extirpated
(Note that this category is not yet functional)

North American distribution maps for this species: FLNAUSDA PlantsBONAPBISON

Collections, Observations & Flowering by Month [?]

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Collections & Observations by Decade [?]

Species Status

Status/Listing: No Information

Notes:

Origin: Native

Species Description

General: Dicot-woody, perennial

Roots: primary

Shoots: alternate leaf arrangment; simple leaf type; serrate, doubly serrate leaf margin; Pinnate leaf venation; linear, lanceolate, oblanceolate leaf shape

Inflorescence: catkin

Flowers: unisexual, monoecious; incomplete, not petals; epigynous ovary position

Fruit: nut

Physiology: autotrophic; C3 C02 fixation

Reproduction: sexual

Ecology & Natural History

Habitat: Species is distributed by base of bluffs, rocky slopes along streams, ravine bottoms.

ILPIN Notes: Tree is form-balled and burlapped, seedlings. Fruit is a small ribbed nutlet; flattened trunk with smooth blue-gray or ashy-gray bark; pendulous catkins. This concerns aquatic furbearers; also bark, wood. Regarding waterfowl food value, this pertains especially to wood ducks. Seed company numbers: 2, 19, 27, 28, 29, 30 Nutlets are edible. This is including var. virginiana (Marsh.) Fern.

Functional Relationships:

  • Pollinators: wind
  • Dispersal:
  • Mycorrhizae:
  • N2 fixation:

Human Relationships:

  • Edibility [?] :
  • Showy Flowers:

Wildlife and Livestock Information:

  • Food Value: upland game birds: fair
  • Cover Value: small non-game bird: good

Coefficient of Conservatism (C-value) [?] :

  • Entire State: 6
  • Chicago Area: 8

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