CHAl'. ev.

COUYLA'CErE. O'STKYA,

2015

Genus V.

O'ST 1! Y A Willd. The Hop Hornbeam. Lin. Syst. Monoe'ciaPolyandria.

Synonymes. Carpinus Lin. and others ; Hopfenbuche, Ger.derivation. From ostryos, a scale j in reference to the scaly catkins.

Description, fyc. Low deciduous trees, natives of North America ; pro-pagated, in British nurseries, by layers, but sometimes by imported seeds.

S 1. O. vulga'ris Willd. The Hop Hornbeam.

Identification. Willd. Sp. PL, 4. p. 469.

Synonymes. Carpinus O'strya Hort. Cliff.% 447., Roy Lugdb., 80., Mill. Did., No. 2., Du Roy Harbk.,1. p. 127., Lam. Encyc.y 1. p. 700., N. Du Ham., 2. p. 200.; O'strya carpinif&lia Scop. Cam., No.1191.; O'strya Bauh. Pin., 427., Du Ham. \Arb., 5.; 0. italica, &c„ Michx. Gen.. 223. t. 104.f. 1,2. *

Engravings. Michx. Gen., 1.104. f. 1,2.; Dend. Brit., 1.143.; N. Du Ham., 2. t. 59.: our fig. 1939.;and the plate of this tree in our last Volume.

Spec. Char., fyc. Strobiles ovate, pendulous. Leaves ovate, acute. Budsobtuse. {Willd.) A tree, from 30ft. to 40 ft. in height; a native of Italy and the south of Europe . It was introduced into England before 1724,as it is mentioned in Furber’s Nursery Catalogue , published in that year.The hop hornbeam, in its general appearance,bark, branches, and foliage, bears a great re-semblance to the common hornbeam; but isat once distinguished from it by its catkins offemale flowers. These consist of blunt scales,or bracte'al appendages, which are close, andregularly imbricated, so as to form a cylindricalstrobile, very like the catkin of the femalehop; whereas in the common hornbeam thebracteas are open and spreading. The treehas a very handsome appearance when in fruit;and, in favourable situations, it will attainnearly as large a size as the common horn-beam. The finest specimen, probably, in Eng-land is in the Botanic Garden at Kew, of whicha portrait is given in our last Volume. Thereare young trees in the Horticultural Society’sGarden, and at Messrs. Loddiges’s. The hop hornbeam is commonlygrafted on the common hornbeam; but, as the growth of the former is morerapid than that of the latter, unless the graft is made immediately abovethe collar, the trunk of the scion becomes too large for that of the stock,and the tree is liable to be blown down, or broken over by the wind.

, Propagating by layers, or by seeds, is therefore a preferable mode.

Statistics. In Scotland , at Bargally, was a tree which, in 1780, measured 4 ft. 1 in. in circum-r, Ce ’ ant * was M tt. high. Dr. Walker adds that it was about 60 ft. high, healthy and vigorous,and had ripe seeds on it, in September, when he measured it.i }In France , in the Jardin des Piantes,years old, it is 37 ft. high, the girt of the trunk 3 ft., and the diameter of the head 23 ft.; ato^eaux, 10 years planted, it is 20 ft high ; at Colombe, near Metz, 60 years old, it is 40 ft. high, thediameter of the trunk 1 ft. I in., and of the head 40 ft. In Germany , in Hanover, in the Gottingen Bo-tanic Garden, 20 years planted, it is 20 ft. high, diameter of the trunk 8 in., and of the head 10 ft.

tassel, at Withelmshoe, 15 years planted, it is 6 ft. high. In Austria, at Vienna , in the Univer-t t io an ‘ c Garden, 18 years old, it is 30 ft. high, the diameter of the trunk 5 in., and that of the-a i '* in ttle garden of Baron Loudon, 30 years old, it is 18 ft. high, diameter of the trunk 14 in.

, „ tae ^ ea( t 16 ft. ; at Briick on the Leytha, 60 years old, it is 50 ft. high, the diameter of thetrunk 2 ft., and of the head 36 ft. In Italy, in Lombardy, at Monza , 24 years old, it is 30 ft. high, thea ' aIaet er of the trunk 1 ft., and of the head 24 ft. The price of plants, in the London nurseries, is 2s.each. Seeds are sometimes ripened in the Kew Gardens, and sometimes imported, and are sold atw. a packet.

* 2. O. (v.) virgi'nica Willd. The Virginian Hop Hornbeam.

Identification. Willd. Sp. PI., 4. p. 469. ; Ait. Hort. Kew., 5. p. 302.

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