Ironwood, or hornbeam, are names given to certain trees that have exceptionally hard wood. Several well-known species in the birch family are in this group. One of these is the hop hornbeam, or ironwood, which is a small forest tree that grows east of the Rocky Mountains. Hop hornbeam trees usually grow singly. The slender trunks of this tree grow from 25 to 50 feet (8 to 15 meters) tall and have grayish, flaky bark. The tree’s leaves look like birch leaves, and the fruit clusters look like hops.
Another species is called American hornbeam, blue beech, and water beech. It is common in moist places east of the Rocky Mountains. The tree usually grows from 20 to 30 feet (6 to 9 meters) high, and its blue-gray bark is smooth except on old trees. The slender trunks are bumpy and swollen in ridges under the close-fitting bark.
The European hornbeam, native to Europe and Asia Minor, grows to a height of about 80 feet (25 meters). The white timber is hard and durable. People use this hornbeam to make such products as billiard cues, drumsticks, and some of the inner parts of pianos.
