Leaf
Pierre Bonnet, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0
European hop-hornbeam
Ostrya carpinifolia Scop.
Also known as: Hop hornbeam
Family: Betulaceae
10 to 20 m tall
Dry hillsides of southern France and Corsica
Flowering: April – May
Full sun
Part shade
-25°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Its fruits grouped in a soft cone recall those of the hop — hence its name.
🍃 Leaves
Ovate, pleated, toothed, very similar to common hornbeam
🌸 Flowers
Long hanging male catkins
🍎 Fruits
Hanging infructescences resembling small hop cones, made up of many bracts enclosing the fruits.
🪵 Bark
Grey-brown bark becoming fibrous and fissured with age; the trunk can recall that of the hornbeam.
🗺️ Distribution
Southern Europe and Asia Minor; found in France mainly in southern France and the southern Alps, on calcareous hillsides
🐝 Value for pollinators
Male catkins producing pollen in spring, limited value for insects
✂️ Horticultural uses
Planted as a specimen or in avenues for its decorative fruits resembling those of the hop
⚠️ Possible toxicity
No known toxicity
🌿 Other Betulaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
🌱 This database is constantly evolving — species and information are added and corrected regularly. Spotted a mistake? Report it below.
© Floraneo — profile content is protected; reproduction without permission is prohibited. Photos remain under their own licence (see the credit shown on each photo).