Carpinus Betulus Fastigiata (European Hornbeam)

Our current inventory of Carpinus Betulus Fastigiata (European Hornbeam) is presented below by seven (7) available sizes along with their individual wholesale price (cost varies per size and quantity).

The Carpinus Betulus Fastigiata is commonly known as the European Hornbeam.  Is is native to western, central and southern Europe, extending eastward as far as western Russia and the Ukraine. It requires a warm climate for good growth.
The European Hornbeam is a small to medium-size tree reaching heights of 50 to 80 feet, rarely to 100 feet, and often has a fluted and crooked trunk. The bark is smooth and greenish-grey, even in old trees. The buds, unlike those of the beech, are 2/5ths of an inch long at the most, and pressed close to the twig. 

The leaves are alternate, 1.5 to 3.5 inches long, with prominent veins giving a distinctive corrugated texture, and a serrated margin. It is monoecious, and the wind pollinated male and female catkins appear in May after the leaves. 

The fruit is a small 0.25 to 0.30 inch long nut, partially surrounded by a three-pointed leafy involucre 1 to 1,5 inches long; it matures in autumn. The seeds often do not germinate till the spring of the second year after sowing. The European Hornbeam is a prolific seeder and is marked by vigorous natural regeneration.

The European Hornbeam is a shade-loving tree, which prefers moderate soil fertility and moisture. It has a shallow, wide-spreading root system and is marked by the production of stump sprouts when cut back. Because it stands up well to cutting back and has dense foliage, it has been much used in landscape gardening, mainly as tall hedges and for topiary. 

The wood is heavy and hard, and is used for tools and building constructions. It also burns hot and slowly, making it a very suitable firewood. This was the reason for lopping and hence indirectly the saving of Epping Forest, where the hornbeam was a favored pollarding tree.