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Resources < Wildlife Habitats < Guide to Native Plants of Georgia for Wildlife < Carpinus caroliniana
It’s easy to see where musclewood gets its name. Under the smooth, skin-like bark, the trunk ripples gently here and there as though it’s full of flexing biceps and triceps, pecs and abs. This unusual fluted trunk, along with the tree’s intricate zigzag branching pattern, is best viewed during the dormant season, making musclewood a must-have for the winter garden.
But musclewood is beautiful during the rest of the year as well. The new spring leaves are wine colored, and by summer they’ve become dark blue-green. In fall they change again, turning orange, yellow, and red, sometimes with all three colors present on a single leaf. Musclewood’s unusual fruiting structures mature about the same time the leaves begin to turn in fall. The fruit is a small nut attached to the base of a three-lobed, papery bract, with several bracts arranged one on top the other to form a rather showy, 4-to-6"-long chain. These intricate chains of bracts and nutlets dangle from musclewood’s branches like holiday decorations.
Musclewood looks lovely planted in groups or as a single specimen and is at home in a natural, woodsy setting or in full sun. No matter where it is sited, musclewood is a very valuable wildlife tree. Its nutlets are relished by a wide variety of birds and mammals, and its dense crown is a favorite nesting site for many songbirds.
Betulaceae (Birch Family)
Small deciduous tree with dark green to blue green, 2 ½ to 5", paper-thin, oval-shaped leaves. Leaf margins are serrated. Greenish catkins appear in very early spring, followed by 4 to 6" chains of papery bracts carrying small nutlets. Bark is smooth, gray, and rippling. Fall leaf color is orange, yellow, and scarlet.
30’ high and 25’ wide. Trees can reach 50’ in height but are usually much smaller.
Small, fine-textured tree with a wide-spreading crown that is either flat-topped or round.
Slow; 8 to 10’ in 10 years.
Full sun to dense shade.
Transplant b&b or container-grown plants in early spring into rich, deep, slightly acid soils. Plants prefer moist conditions but will adapt to drier sites.
Features include blue green summer leaves, delicate form, fine texture, decorative seed clusters, and showy fall color.
Plant as a specimen or in groups. This is a great little shade tree for the small garden.
Larval host plant for tiger swallowtail and red-spotted purple butterflies. Nutlets are eaten by several bird species, including cardinals, American goldfinches, evening grosbeaks, wild turkeys, and wood ducks.
Found throughout Georgia as an understory tree along rivers, streams, and forest edges.
Cold stratified green seed.
Also known as Ironwood, American Hornbeam, Blue Beech, Water Beech
Written by Leslie Kimel, Georgia Wildlife Federation
Photos courtesy Paul Cox, Sally and Andy Wasowski, Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center, and Missouri Botanical Garden Plantfinder
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