American Hornbeam
Carpinus caroliniana
68
Strong
Native to Florida. How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 100%
- Height
- 20–30 feet
- Spread
- 20–35 feet
- Light
- Deep shade, Partial shade
- Soil moisture
- Usually moist
Space about 27.5 ft apart from its recorded spread. Enter your bed size for a count
Will it fit your yard?
At a glance
- Life cycle
- Woody perennial
- Leaves
- Deciduous
- Bloom
- Mid spring
- Fruiting season
- Summer to fall
Recorded in 47 Florida counties.
Also found with this plant
Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Florida. Shared habitat, not food. 124 animals.
- Hooded MerganserLophodytes cucullatus
- Hooded WarblerWilsonia citrina
- Indigo BuntingPasserina cyanea
- Kentucky WarblerOporornis formosus
- Least FlycatcherEmpidonax minimus
- LimpkinAramus guarauna
- Louisiana WaterthrushSeiurus motacilla
- Magnificent FrigatebirdFregata magnificens
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Mississippi KiteIctinia mississippiensis
- Mourning DoveZenaida macroura
- Northern CardinalCardinalis cardinalis
- Northern FlickerColaptes auratus
- Northern MockingbirdMimus polyglottos
- Northern ParulaParula americana
- Northern ShovelerAnas clypeata
- Northern WaterthrushSeiurus noveboracensis
- Orchard OrioleIcterus spurius
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- Pileated WoodpeckerDryocopus pileatus
- Prothonotary WarblerProtonotaria citrea
- Purple FinchCarpodacus purpureus
- Purple GallinulePorphyrio martinica
- Red-bellied WoodpeckerMelanerpes carolinus
Ecological relationships
Who uses this plant?
58CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL
Genus host records with ranges including FL · Carpinus
- Acharia stimuleaSaddleback Caterpillar Moth
- Acronicta americanaAmerican Dagger
- Acronicta funeralisFunerary Dagger, Paddle Caterpillar
- Acronicta laetificaPleasant Dagger
- Actias lunaLuna Moth
- Adoneta spinuloidesPurple-Crested Slug
- Amorpha juglandisWalnut Sphinx
- Anavitrinella pampinariaCommon Gray, Cranberry Spanworm
- Ancylis divisanaTwo-Toned Ancylis
- Antheraea polyphemusPolyphemus Moth
Show all 58
- Apatelodes torrefactaSpotted Apatelodes
- Apoda biguttataShagreened Slug Moth
- Apoda y-inversumYellow-Collared Slug Moth
- Archips argyrospilaFruit-Tree Leafroller Moth
- Automeris ioIo Moth
- Baileya ophthalmicaEyed Baileya
- Cecrita biundataWavy-Lined Heterocampa
- Cecrita guttivittaMaple Prominent, Saddled Prominent
- Cenopis niveanaAproned Cenopis Moth
- Cenopis pettitanaMaple-Basswood Leafroller Moth
- Cleora sublunariaDouble-Lined Gray
- Colocasia flavicornisYellowhorn, Saddled Yellowhorn
- Datana ministraYellow-Necked Caterpillar Moth
- Dichomeris ligulellaPalmerworm
- Eacles imperialisImperial Moth, Imperial Spiny Caterpillar
- Ennomos subsignariaElm Spanworm Moth
- Erannis tiliariaLinden Looper Moth, Western Winter Moth, Lime Looper
- Euclea delphiniiSpiny Oak-Slug Moth
- Halysidota tessellarisBanded Tussock Moth, Pale Tiger Moth
- Heterocampa pulvereaWhite-Blotched Heterocampa
- Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
- Hypena palpariaMottled Bomolocha, Variegated Snout
- Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
- Kocakina fidelisIntractable Quaker, Green Fruitworm, Fourlined Green Fruitworm
- Lambdina fervidariaCurve-Lined Looper Moth
- Limenitis arthemisBanded Purple, Red-Spotted Admiral
- Lithacodes fasciolaYellow-Shouldered Slug
- Lomographa vestaliataWhite Spring Moth
- Malacosoma americanaEastern Tent Caterpillar
- Malacosoma disstriaForest Tent Caterpillar
- Morrisonia confusaConfused Woodgrain
- Natada nasoniNason's Slug Moth
- Nemoria mimosariaWhite-Fringed Emerald
- Oedemasia leptinoidesBlack-Blotched Schizura
- Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
- Paonias excaecataBlinded Sphinx, Blind Eyed Sphinx
- Papilio glaucusEastern Tiger Swallowtail
- Phigalia titeaThe Half-Wing Geometer, Spiney Looper, Eastern Oak Looper
- Probole amicariaFriendly Probole
- Satyrium liparopsStriped Hairstreak
- Smerinthus jamaicensisTwin-Spotted Sphinx
- Tetracis cachexiataWhite Slant-Line
- Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
- Zale minereaColorful Zale
- Acrobasis ostryella
- Dichomeris ventrellus
- Menesta tortriciformella
- Stigmella ostryaefoliella
1BeesSoutheastern regional records
Southeastern regional records · Carpinus
Individual names are not available yet.
Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
1BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim
Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Carpinus
- Bonasa umbellusRuffed Grouse
Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening
No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects
Growing and identification
Plant details
- Family
- Betulaceae
- Hardiness
- Zones 3a–9b
- Soil pH
- Acidic to neutral
- Flower color
- Yellow or green
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Growth habit
- Several stems
- Foliage color
- Green
- Fruit begins
- Summer
- Fruit ends
- Fall
What its natural habitat tells you
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Growing sources and scope
- Bloom · “Mid spring” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Flower color · “Yellow or green” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs)
- Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Fruit begins · “Summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Fruit ends · “Fall” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Growth habit · “Several stems” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Growth rate · “Slow” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Hardiness · “Zones 3a–9b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Height · “20–30 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS, Minnesota Wildflowers differ)
- Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Life cycle · “Woody perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Light · “Deep shade (less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain differ)
- Soil · “Moist; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain differ)
- Soil pH · “Acidic to neutral” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Spread · “20–35 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Also known as
Blue Beech; Musclewood
Conservation status
| Florida rank | S4 |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G5 |
| FL status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
In your garden
Will it fit your yard?
Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.
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Sources
- Atlas of Florida Plants
- USDA PLANTS
- Vascular Plants of North Carolina (NC Natural Heritage Program)
- NatureServe Explorer
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications