Family |
Betulaceae
Ostrya carpinifolia
Scop.
Ostrya carpinifolia Scop.
(Fl. Carniol., ed. 2, 2: 244; 1771 – Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 1, Pl. LXXXV nº 1; 1966)
• Life-form & habit: Deciduous tree 10–20 (rarely 25) m tall, with a rounded crown and slender, drooping branches. Bark grey-brown, finely fissured and flaking with age; young twigs reddish-brown and pubescent, becoming glabrous.
• Leaves: Alternate, ovate to elliptic, 5–12 × 3–6 cm, sharply doubly serrate, acuminate at apex, rounded to cordate at base. Upper surface dark green, slightly rough; underside lighter, pubescent along veins. Petiole 5–10 mm long.
• Inflorescence & flowers: Monoecious. Male catkins slender, pendulous, formed in autumn and overwintering; 4–6 cm long at anthesis. Female catkins smaller, erect, 1–3 cm long, appearing with the leaves in spring. Bracts membranous, each subtending two flowers.
• Fruit: Small nutlets (achenes) enclosed in bladder-like, papery, ovoid involucres (10–15 mm), pale brown and prominently veined, forming pendulous clusters resembling hop cones — hence the English name “hop-hornbeam.”
• Phenology: Flowers in April–May; fruits mature in late summer (August–September).
• Habitat & elevation: Montane deciduous forests, on calcareous or dolomitic slopes, in association with Quercus cerris, Carpinus orientalis, and Acer obtusatum; 600–1 600 m. Prefers well-drained, rocky soils and tolerates moderate drought.
• Lebanese distribution: Reported by Mouterde from Mount Lebanon — especially the upper valleys of the Nahr el-Jaouz, Qartaba, Barouk, and Bsharré regions; locally frequent in the humid montane belt below the cedar forests.
• Native range: Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Corse, France, Greece, Italy, Lebanon–Syria, North Caucasus, NW. Balkan Peninsula, Sardegna, Sicilia, Switzerland, Transcaucasus, Türkiye, Türkiye-in-Europe.
• Extinct in: Hungary.
• Introduced into: Germany (POWO).
• ⚠️ Taxonomic note: The only native Ostrya in the Mediterranean basin, closely related to Carpinus betulus but differing in its papery, bladder-like fruiting bracts and harder, more durable wood. In Lebanon, O. carpinifolia marks the transition between the mesic oak forest and subalpine cedar belt; locally threatened by overgrazing and deforestation.