Hornbeam Hornbeam Hornbeams are hardwood trees in the flowering plant genus "Carpinus" in the birch family Betulaceae. The 30–40 species occur across much of the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The common English name "hornbeam" derives from the hardness of the woods (likened to "horn") and the Old English "beam" "tree" (cognate with German "Baum"). The "American hornbeam" is also occasionally known as "blue-beech", "ironwood", or "musclewood", the first from the resemblance of the bark to that of the American beech "Fagus grandifolia", the other two from the hardness of the wood and the muscular appearance of the trunk, respectively.
Cunninghamia vegetative propagation for use in forestry plantations. As the tree grows its trunk tends to sucker around the base, particularly following damage to the stem or roots, and it then may grow in a multi-trunked form. Brown bark of mature trees peels off in strips to reveal reddish-brown inner bark. Older specimens often look ragged, as the old needles may cling to stems for up to 5 years. This tree can be mistaken for the rare "Torreya taxifolia", one visible difference being the "Cunninghamia"'s bronze autumn branches which are shed and pile beneath it, as well as the propensity for