Carpinus betulus A. Beeckman - Hornbeam

Carpinus betulus 'A. Beeckman' is a variety of common hornbeam with a columnar growth habit that widens with age. It reaches a height of about 8m with a spread of only 2m at maturity, making it very suitable as a street tree, along narrow alleys and avenues, or as a border in a medium-sized garden. Its wavy and toothed leaves turn golden yellow in autumn and persist on grey-brown branches before falling. This vigorous hornbeam is very hardy and resistant, and very easy to grow.

Carpinus betulus, sometimes called hornbeam, is a tree native to forests in Europe and Asia Minor (Turkey and Ukraine), with a pyramidal habit that becomes more rounded over time. Its straight trunk is covered with pale grey to green-grey bark. The bark is smooth on young hornbeams and cracks as it ages. Its flowers are monoecious, either male or female, with slightly different appearances and appear in autumn (male catkins) and spring (female catkins). Carpinus betulus produces hanging, 3 to 6 cm long clusters of fruits, that are green and turn yellow-brown when mature in late September. These fruits are called samaras and are toxic.

The 'A. Beeckman' variety is a Belgian cultivar developed by Albert Beeckman in 1985. It differs from the species by its regular and narrow columnar habit, branching and slightly widening with age to take on a more pyramidal shape. At maturity, this small tree will not exceed 8 to 10m in height with a spread of 2m. Its dark grey-brown branches bear compound leaves that are ovate and doubly toothed, measuring 7 to 12 cm long. The foliage is a tender green in spring and turns a bright golden yellow in autumn.

The 'A. Beeckman' hornbeam is a very hardy and undemanding plant, adapting to any sufficiently deep soil, even dry soil. It is particularly suitable for lining narrow alleys or garden borders. It can also be integrated into a hedge, combined with other deciduous foliage shrubs such as cotinus, deciduous euonymus, Persian ironwood, or Montpellier maple, all of which are equally easy to grow in all regions.

The wood of the common hornbeam is used for heating, papermaking, tools and children's toys. It rarely lives longer than 100 years in the wild.