Description
Carpinus caroliniana
CT E RG P EcoR
Soil: Sandy/Clay Loams, Fertile, Well-drained
Moisture: Moist to Wet
Light: Part to Full Shade
Plant Height: 20 to 35 feet
Plant Width: 20 to 35 feet
Pests: None
Landscape Value: Great in naturalized woodland areas, especially in low spots and along streams and ponds. Good for shady lawn sites.
Attractively shaped small to medium-sized understory tree with a shallow wide-spreading root system. The smooth, bluish-gray trunk and larger branches of mature trees exhibit a distinctive muscle-like fluting, hence one of its common names. Foliage turns various shades of yellow, orange and red in the fall. Yellow-green flowers appear in early spring on separate male and female catkins. Female catkins give way to clusters of winged nutlets, attractive to songbirds, game birds, and various small mammals. Tolerates black walnut, periodic flooding, and drier sites. Sensitive to drought and soil compaction. Larval host to Eastern Tiger Swallowtail and Striped Hairstreak butterflies. Nutlets are edible, but very small.
2 gallon pot
