The American Hornbeam or Musclewood is a lovely small to medium sized tree, usually 20 to 35 feet high, but to around 50 feet is possible. It is native from New England and a little of southeast Canada down into northern Florida to east Texas up to central Minnesota, growing in forests from draining wet soils along watercourses and lowlands up to east and north facing slopes of hills and mountains. It is slow growing of about 8 to 12 inches/year and lives over 150 years. It has deep, course lateral spreading roots and is difficult to transplant, but can be root pruned in nurseries and dug up B&B in spring. Larger, diverse conventional nurseries and native plant nurseries sell some. Its most interesting feature is the smooth, light grey bark on a irregularly fluted trunk, looking muscle-like. (The European species has darker bark and darker, thicker-textured leaves). Its handsome birch-like leaves bear good autumn colour from yellow to orange to red. High quality tree!

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