Hornbeam — Willow / CC BY 2.5

Tree · Betulaceae

Hornbeam

Carpinus betulus

Facts

Habitat: Mixed deciduous woodland, often understorey beneath Oak and Beech
IUCN status: LC (Least Concern)
Max height: 30 m

Hornbeam foliage — Foliage · (c) Hugo Reyes Aldana, some rights reserved (CC BY)

Ecological relationships

Eaten by

HawfinchCoccothraustes coccothraustes
The Hawfinch's beak generates approximately 50-70 kg of crushing force, sufficient to split Hornbeam nutlets that no other European passerine can open. This morphological specialisation is one of the most striking examples of beak-seed coevolution in European birds.
Marsh TitPoecile palustris
Feeds on hornbeam nutlets in mixed beech-hornbeam stands.

Mycorrhizal partner of

Summer TruffleTuber aestivum
Ectomycorrhizal; Hornbeam is a principal host in calcareous European woodlands. Fills the significant gap of Hornbeam having no previous fungal partners in the database.
Hornbeam MilkcapLactarius circellatus
Near-obligate ectomycorrhizal partner of Hornbeam; one of the most host-specific Lactarius species in Europe.