The trunk is smooth fluted with irregular ridges extending up and down
the tree. The _bark_ is light brownish-gray to dark bluish-gray in
color, sometimes marked with dark bands extending horizontally on the
trunk.
The _leaves_ are simple, alternate, oval, long-pointed, doubly-toothed
along the margin, 2 or 3 inches in length. They resemble those of the
American elm, but are smaller and thinner.
The _flowers_, appearing after the leaves, are borne in catkins
separately on the same tree; the staminate catkins are about 1-1/2
inches long, the pistillate being only 3/4 of an inch long with small
leaf-like green scales each bearing 2 pistils with long scarlet styles.
The _fruit_ ripens in midsummer, but often remains on the tree long
after the leaves have fallen. It is a nutlet about 1/3 of an inch long,
attached to a leaf-like halberd-shaped bract which acts as a wing in
aiding its distribution by the wind.
The _wood_ is tough, close-grained, heavy and strong. It is sometimes
selected for use for levers, tool handles, wooden cogs, mallets, wedges,
etc.
Another small tree of the birch family is the speckled alder, _Alnus
incana_ Moench, which is found occasionally in wet places in the
northern part of the State. The black alder, _Alnus glutinosa_
Gaertn., a European tree, has been planted near ponds. The flowers of
the alders are in catkins and among the earliest in the spring. The
fruit is a small cone which persists throughout the winter.
+HOP HORNBEAM+ _Ostrya virginiana_ K. Koch
THIS tree is also called ironwood and gets its common names from the
quality of its wood and the hop-like fruit. It is a small, slender,
generally round-topped tree, from 22 to 30 feet high and 7 to 10 inches
in diameter. The top consists of long, slender branches, commonly
drooped toward the ends. It is found throughout the State.
[Illustration: HOP HORNBEAM