Carpinus caroliniana (American Hornbeam / Blue Beech / Musclewood)
Carpinus caroliniana (American Hornbeam / Blue Beech / Musclewood)
Couldn't load pickup availability
$30 minimum per species for seed.
$30 minimum per species for seed.
Each species requires a minimum of $30 of seed to proceed with checkout.
Pure Live Seed
Pure Live Seed
Seed is provided in Pure Live Seed (PLS) unless otherwise stated.
Pure Live Seed (PLS) refers to the percentage of a seed lot that consists of the desired species and is viable (capable of germination).
Here's why PLS is crucial for native seeds:
-
Accurate Planting:
- PLS helps determine the actual number of viable seeds in a given weight or volume of seed.
- This ensures you plant the correct amount of seed to achieve the desired density and success rate.
-
Cost-Effectiveness:
- By knowing the PLS, you can avoid overspending on seed that may not germinate.
- This is especially important for native seeds, which can be more expensive than some cultivated varieties.
-
Weed Control:
- PLS helps minimize the presence of weed seeds within the seed lot.
- This reduces competition for resources and ensures the successful establishment of the desired native plants.
-
Ecological Restoration:
- Using high-quality native seeds with a high PLS is essential for successful ecological restoration projects.
- It helps to re-establish diverse and resilient plant communities that support local wildlife.
Weight Conversions lbs. to oz.
Weight Conversions lbs. to oz.
0.01 pounds = 0.16 ounces
- 0.1 pounds = 1.6 ounces
- 0.25 pounds = 4 ounces
- 0.5 pounds = 8 ounces
- 0.75 pounds = 12 ounces
- 1.00 pounds = 16 ounces
American Hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana) is a small woodland tree with smooth bark and a fluted trunk that gives it the common name musclewood. It develops best with dependable soil moisture and enough drainage to keep the root zone aerated. Its modest stature and distinctive trunk make it a useful tree to consider for a moist woodland garden.
Check the product options above for the available format and quantity.
Plant specifications & ecological relationships
Key growing facts
| Sunlight | Deep shade; Partial Shade |
|---|---|
| Soil moisture | NC State lists: good drainage, moist, occasional flooding, occasionally wet |
| Height | 20 ft. 0 in. - 30 ft. 0 in. (NC State cultivation range) |
| Bloom season | Spring |
Show / hide ▾Growing & planting details
| Soil pH | NC State lists acidic, neutral soil conditions; no optimal numeric interval is established. |
|---|---|
| Cultivation hardiness zones | Zones 3a–9b (NC State cultivation guidance) |
| Drought tolerance | Low |
| Salt tolerance | None |
Plant identification & seed reference
| Botanical name | Carpinus caroliniana |
|---|---|
| Other common names | American Hornbeam; Blue Beech; Hornbeam; Ironwood; Musclewood; Muscle Wood; Water Beech |
| Seed germination | USDA lists cold stratification as required; duration is not specified. |
| Plant family | Betulaceae |
| Seeds per pound — reference estimate | 35000 |
Plant characteristics
Carpinus caroliniana (American Hornbeam / Blue Beech / Musclewood) is a native understory tree that can be used extremely well in shade and woodland gardens for that sub-canopy naturalized texture. It can also perform well as mid-level visual screens. Leaves are a beautiful yellow to orange in the fall. The bark on this tree is unique because of its smooth yet muscular look, giving it another common name of musclewood.
Show / hide ▾Native range & C-value
| Wetland indicator — NWPL 2022 Midwest | FAC |
|---|---|
| C-value* — Illinois regional assessment | 6 |
| Native range — U.S. states | Alabama; Arkansas; Connecticut; Delaware; Florida; Georgia; Illinois; Indiana; Iowa; Kansas; Kentucky; Louisiana; Maine; Maryland; Massachusetts; Michigan; Minnesota; Mississippi; Missouri; New Hampshire; New Jersey; New York; North Carolina; Ohio; Oklahoma; Pennsylvania; Rhode Island; South Carolina; Tennessee; Texas; Vermont; Virginia; West Virginia; Wisconsin |
| County nativity | Not yet verified; occurrence records do not establish nativity. |
Show / hide ▾Plant communities & associates
Other regional plant communities
These plants are named with this species in published vegetation accounts. Each list keeps its community and region; some records describe a shared vegetation type rather than neighboring plants in a measured plot. They are ecological records, not a planting recipe, and may include plants unsuitable for a particular garden.
- Small trees and shrubs in yellow-birch forests (Eastern North America; account synthesis): Betula alleghaniensis.
- Hardwood-forest understory (Eastern North America): Ostrya virginiana, Cornus florida, Sassafras albidum, Hamamelis virginiana, Amelanchier spp., Alnus rugosa.
- Hardwood-forest understory (Northern part of American hornbeam range): Acer spicatum, Morus rubra, Asimina triloba, Cercis canadensis.
- Hardwood-forest understory (Southern part of American hornbeam range): Magnolia spp., Ilex decidua, Ilex opaca, Ulmus alata, Magnolia virginiana, Planera aquatica, Crataegus marshallii, Crataegus opaca, Diospyros virginiana, Prunus caroliniana.
Show / hide ▾Pollinators & wildlife
Caterpillars & other plant-feeding insects
This plant has published caterpillar host records for the butterflies and moths listed below. These are larval feeding relationships, separate from adult nectar visits. The records span a North American literature compilation and do not establish that every insect occurs locally or uses only this plant.
Butterflies & skippers
- Papilio glaucus — Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
- Satyrium liparops — Striped Hairstreak
Moths
- Acrobasis carpinivorella
- Acronicta funeralis — Funerary Dagger, Paddle Caterpillar
- Adoneta spinuloides — Purple-Crested Slug
- Anisota virginiensis — Pink-striped Oakworm Moth
- Apatelodes torrefacta — Spotted Apatelodes
- Apoda biguttata — Shagreened Slug Moth
- Apoda y-inversum — Yellow-Collared Slug Moth
- Besma endropiaria — Straw Besma
- Cameraria corylisella — Hazel Blotchminer
- Cenopis pettitana — Maple-Basswood Leafroller Moth
- Cleora sublunaria — Double-Lined Gray
- Colocasia flavicornis — Yellowhorn, Saddled Yellowhorn
- Colocasia propinquilinea — Closebanded Yellowhorn
- Crocigrapha normani — Norman's Quaker
- Eacles imperialis — Imperial Moth, Imperial Spiny Caterpillar
- Ectoedemia quadrinotata
- Erannis tiliaria — Linden Looper Moth, Western Winter Moth, Lime Looper
- Euclea delphinii — Spiny Oak-Slug Moth
- Eupsilia schweitzeri
- Hypena palparia — Mottled Bomolocha, Variegated Snout
- Lambdina fervidaria — Curve-Lined Looper Moth
- Lithacodes fasciola — Yellow-Shouldered Slug
- Lophocampa caryae — Hickory Tussock Moth, Hickory Tiger Moth
- Morrisonia latex — Fluid Arches, Fluid Mamestra
- Natada nasoni — Nason's Slug Moth
- Nites maculatella
- Oedemasia leptinoides — Black-Blotched Schizura
- Packardia geminata — Jeweled Tail Slug Moth
- Paonias excaecata — Blinded Sphinx, Blind Eyed Sphinx
- Phigalia titea — The Half-Wing Geometer, Spiney Looper, Eastern Oak Looper
- Pseudothyatira cymatophoroides — Tufted Thyatirid
- Tetracis cachexiata — White Slant-Line
- Xylena curvimacula — Dot-and-Dash Swordgrass Moth
- Zale minerea — Colorful Zale
Leafhopper hosts
The INHS revision lists this plant as a host for the following Eratoneura leafhoppers. These plant-feeding insects are distinct from caterpillars and flower visitors.
- Eratoneura aculeata
- Eratoneura direpta
- Eratoneura misera
- Eratoneura spala
- Eratoneura staffordi
- Eratoneura tersa
- Eratoneura triangulata
Host names follow the 2010 taxonomic revision. Its distribution records do not establish a host observation at your planting site.
Show / hide ▾Frequently asked questions
What are the ideal growing conditions for American Hornbeam / Blue Beech / Musclewood?
Carpinus caroliniana performs best in partial sun to full shade with mesic (rich hardwood understory & slopes) conditions. It thrives in authentic regional soil types ranging from sandy loam to well-drained clay loams.
How do I germinate and establish American Hornbeam / Blue Beech / Musclewood from seed?
Seed of Carpinus caroliniana has a germination code of C(60). For best results, sow seed in late fall/winter for natural outdoor freeze-thaw stratification, or cold-moist stratify in refrigeration for 30 to 60 days before spring indoor propagation.
Is American Hornbeam / Blue Beech / Musclewood deer and herbivore resistant?
Yes. Native plants adapted to Midwestern habitats naturally produce protective secondary compounds and fibrous textures that make them highly resistant to deer, rabbits, and other grazing herbivores.
When should I expect American Hornbeam / Blue Beech / Musclewood to emerge and bloom?
Established plants break dormancy in spring as soil temperatures warm, developing vigorous foliage before blooming in their seasonal window to provide vital nectar when native pollinators need it most.
Show / hide ▾Sources & ecological notes
Plant communities: USDA Forest Service, Fire Effects Information System (FEIS): Betula alleghaniensis; Carpinus caroliniana. Selected association facts regrouped in original wording; regional scope retained. No source photographs or captions reproduced.
Caterpillar host records: Shropshire, K.J. & Tallamy, D.W. (2025), Lepidoptera of North America, Supplement 1. Contains information from this database made available under the Open Database License (ODbL 1.0). Natural Communities selected species-level records and screened source qualifications. The complete selection and transformation instructions for this page are available below under the same license.
Leafhopper records: Dmitriev, D.A. & Dietrich, C.H. (2010), Review of New World Erythroneurini IV: Eratoneura, Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin 39(3):79–258. © 2010 University of Illinois Board of Trustees; CC BY 4.0. Explicit host treatments selected and regrouped by Natural Communities. PDF treatment pages: Eratoneura aculeata, Eratoneura direpta, Eratoneura misera, Eratoneura spala, Eratoneura staffordi, Eratoneura tersa, Eratoneura triangulata.
Appearance and site selection: USDA Forest Service FEIS. Selected botanical facts checked 7 September 2026; introduction written by Natural Communities.
C-value assessment: Illinois 1997 / 2020 family update; source taxon Carpinus caroliniana. The asterisk identifies an alternative assessment. It does not resolve a missing Flora taxonomic match.
State nativity: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, 4 June 2026 release; taxon Carpinus caroliniana. © The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. CC BY 3.0; selected and reformatted. Only records marked native, not extinct and not doubtful are included. Kew cannot warrant the quality or accuracy of these data; no Kew endorsement is implied.
Chicago-region nativity, U.S. state nativity and county occurrence are separate assessments. County nativity has not yet been verified for this listing. These records do not describe the origin of the stock offered for sale.
C-value source: Illinois statewide 1997 assessment, 2020 family-name update — fallback. Matched source taxon: Carpinus caroliniana. Exact statewide taxon; not a Chicago-region rating.
Sources checked September 5, 2026. Regional assessments and growing observations apply to their stated settings. Unverified fields are omitted; missing information does not mean an ecological relationship is absent.
- NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. Limited botanical facts presented in Natural Communities’ own wording. Source-specific observations retain their stated scope; photographs, original descriptive prose and compiled relationship tables are excluded. Supports: Alternate Common Names; Bloom Season; Botanical Name; Ecological Function; Height; Larval Host Status; Plant Family; Soil Moisture Range; Soil pH Range; Sun Exposure; Sunlight Exposure; USDA Hardiness Zones.
- USDA NRCS PLANTS — taxon profile and characteristics. USDA NRCS PLANTS Database, checked September 5, 2026. Numeric and categorical taxon-level facts only; no photographs or third-party guide prose reproduced. Supports: Drought Tolerance; Germination Code; Salt Tolerance; Seeds per pound — USDA reference estimate.
- USACE National Wetland Plant List 2022 — Midwest. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 2022 National Wetland Plant List, Midwest region; effective February 13, 2024. Federal data. Supports: Wetland Indicator Status.
- USDA Forest Service — FEIS, wildflower accounts and seed manual. Taylor, Jennifer L. 2001. Populus deltoides. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Fire Effects Information System. Public-domain synthesis; community records retain their reported geography. Supports: Documented community associate: Populus deltoides.
Historical botanical names remain visible where used by the source. These regional accounts supplement the available Chicago Flora evidence.
Regional assessment details
C-value: 6* — Illinois 1997 / 2020 family update; alternative dataset, not a verified Flora database 80 value for this listing. Chicago-region status: Chicago Flora assessment unavailable for this listing.
Verified state nativity: Alabama; Arkansas; Connecticut; Delaware; Florida; Georgia; Illinois; Indiana; Iowa; Kansas; Kentucky; Louisiana; Maine; Maryland; Massachusetts; Michigan; Minnesota; Mississippi; Missouri; New Hampshire; New Jersey; New York; North Carolina; Ohio; Oklahoma; Pennsylvania; Rhode Island; South Carolina; Tennessee; Texas; Vermont; Virginia; West Virginia; Wisconsin (WCVP taxon: Carpinus caroliniana)
County nativity: Not yet verified for this listing. County occurrence is not a county-native assessment.
Reusable research data
{"title":"Natural Communities selected host records for Carpinus caroliniana","source":"Shropshire, K.J. & Tallamy, D.W. (2025). Lepidoptera of North America, north of Mexico: an annotated list containing geographic ranges and host-plant records. Supplement 1.","source_doi":"https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1261.160796.suppl1","download":"https://binary.pensoft.net/file/1478226","source_sha256":"250a11ec19c89f81374af3bc632f6897491cbe540edb09ccdaf298dc73bf9472","license":"ODbL-1.0","license_url":"https://opendatacommons.org/licenses/odbl/1-0/","method":"Complete machine-readable selection and alteration file under ODbL section 4.6(b). In source worksheet UDELep May 2025, select only rows whose column A UDLepID appears in selection. Each selection entry contains [retained source plant names, selected insect IDs]. Create one record per selected ID and retained plant name; these are reported larval hosts. Scientific insect name is the first two whitespace-separated tokens of column H; common name is E; source category is AB. Other source fields are unchanged and are not part of this derived table. No other rows or host pairs are used on this page. Group Butterfly and Skipper categories together, and other categories as moths; retain exotic category labels. Display names are sorted by scientific insect name.","plant":"Carpinus caroliniana","scope":"Host literature synthesis; no county nativity or local insect occurrence inferred.","selection":[[["Carpinus caroliniana"],["200175","200300","200402","200935","201193","201213","201217","201805","202223","202582","203022","203352","203353","203616","204360","204388","204889","205090","205624","207185","207561","207799","207899","208513","208557","208791","208900","209173","209248","209314","209904","210704","211151","212378","212898","212975"]]]}
Plant Shipping & Care
Plant Shipping & Care
We want to ensure that our customers get what they want, a native backyard oasis. To do that, we need to follow a few simple guidelines and give you some information and pointers to make sure you get your plants delivered in a healthy state.
As a reminder, you will receive an email to confirm your pickup or shipping window just before the plants are ready. See Order Fulfillment below for seasonal fulfillment windows.
Choices to Receive Your Plants & Accessories
- Retail - We only offer shipping & shipping is calculated at check out*
- We do not offer retail pick up
- Wholesale - Delivery is customized based on order size and location
- Wholesale - Pickup is free
Order Fulfilment - When Your Plants or Other Items Will Be Ready
We take orders all year long and seed is shipped all year, but we only provide the plants to you in certain fulfillment windows to ensure healthy plants.
Wholesale Orders
- Shipped or are Ready For Pick Up As Requested.
Retail & Website Orders
- Seed Typically Ships Out Within One Week Of Order All Year Long
- Typically, single species flats ship when ready, sometimes as soon as early to mid-April (depends on weather) through early-October.
- Mixed species kits are batched and shipped as indicated on the product page.
- If a plant order is placed while outside of the plant fulfillment window your plants will be reserved through your payment, however, the order will not be fulfilled and shipped until the following spring. We don't want to provide you plants when they won't be happy during the cold winter months.
- Early in the spring and later in the fall certain species may be dormant or partially dormant with brown leaves, however they will return to grow healthy next growing season.
- Your order may arrive in several different shipments.
- If certain plants within an order will not be available until a later date, we may choose to hold the full order until all are ready. In certain circumstances, we may choose to send them in two separate shipments
- Fulfillment is always dependent upon plant availability. We try our best but sometimes plants do not overwinter well and perish. If a plant is on back order you will receive an email indicating the estimated shipping date. If we can not provide the plant we will first notify you and give you an option of substitution or a refund of that individual species.
- Plants are typically only packaged and shipped on Mondays to ensure they do not sit in the harsh delivery facility for extended periods of time over the weekend. You will receive a confirmation email once your delivery has been shipped and to estimate your delivery date.
- Apparel & accessories are ready typically within one to two weeks. See product page for holiday shipping.
Where We Ship
What to Expect When Receiving Your Delivery
- Your plants will be packaged with the utmost care
- We will need to cut back certain plants prior to shipping. This seems counter-intuitive, however, the fewer leaves the less water the plants can lose during shipping, resulting in healthier plants for you. This also enables the plants to fit within the protective packaging and shipped safely.
Shipments
- Larger plant shipments will look similar to the picture below with a tray of your plants and a cardboard box to protect them during shipping.
What to Do With Your Plants After Receiving Your Delivery
- Unpack your order IMMEDIATELY
- Inspect for damage and report any issues immediately to Natives@NaturalCommunities.net
- Water your plants
- Install your plants as quickly as possible and water the entire garden area thoroughly
- If you cannot install your plants immediately
- Some plants may not be in a container, put them into some kind of a container such as a paper cup with loose soil until installation
- Make sure each plant is receiving the appropriate amount of light.
- Continue to water daily each morning and possibly again in the afternoon
- No additional fertilizer is needed
Seed Shipping & Care
Seed Shipping & Care
There is a minimum order requirement of $30 for each seed species. Seed ships all year and typically ships within a week of an order being placed.
We have attempted to put together some basic information regarding native seed installation, establishment, and maintenance. We hope you find it helpful. If you need further assistance on native seed establishment, please schedule a free consolation call here.
Consultation Services
Ecosystem Restoration Considerations
Native Seed Establishment Best Management Practices
Native Seed Stratification Best Management Practices
Solving a Site Problem? Get Expert Advice + Get Store Credit
Whether you're fighting severe erosion, replacing invasive species, designing a pollinator haven, or seeding large acreage, choosing the wrong species wastes time and money. Talk 1-on-1 with a restoration ecologist to map out the exact species, plug counts, or seed mixes for your soil and goals. Book a consultation and get all or a portion credited directly back to your order.