Hornbeam
From KeyToNature
Carpinus betulus
Birch family (Betulaceae)
Origin: Europe
Description: Up to 30m high, broadly oval in outline, often with a short, twisted trunk. Bark greyish. Twigs covered with thick hair. Leaves alternate, ovate, pointed, margins double-toothed, with conspicuous parallel, hairy veins beneath. Flowers in slender, hanging catkins, yellowish males 5cm long; green females up to 2cm. Fruits in a hanging catkin up to 14cm long, each pair of nuts attached to a large, 3-lobed, leafy bract.
Male catkins.
The female catkins enlarge in fruit.
