(European Hornbeam)

A stately tree with muscular gray branches and trunk, the European hornbeam has glossy green foliage and produces interesting strings of lobed, yellow-brown fruits in fall. This tall, oval-canopied deciduous tree is native to much of Europe and eastward into Asia Minor.

The leaves are oval and have unequal but doubled rows of teeth on their edges. Veins are very depressed and the upper leaf side is a dull, deep green and undersides a lighter shiny green. These leaves are held late into fall and...

(European Hornbeam, Upright European Hornbeam)

A stately tree with gray branches and trunk, the upright European hornbeam has glossy green foliage and produces interesting strings of yellow-brown fruits in fall. This tall, oval-canopied deciduous tree is native to much of Europe and eastward into Asia Minor. Although named 'Fastigiata', the mature form of this selection is oval to pyramidal, not a tall, narrow, upright spire.

The leaves are oval and have unequal but doubled rows of teeth on their edges. Veins are very depressed and the upper...

(European Hornbeam)

A stately tree with muscular gray branches and trunk, the European hornbeam has glossy green foliage and produces interesting strings of lobed, yellow-brown fruits in fall. This tall, oval-canopied deciduous tree is native to much of Europe and eastward into Asia Minor.

The leaves are oval and have unequal but doubled rows of teeth on their edges. Veins are very depressed and the upper leaf side is a dull, deep green and undersides a lighter shiny green. These leaves are held late into fall and...

(American Hornbeam, Musclewood)

A slow-growing, spreading-canopied deciduous tree, American hornbeam is native to southeastern North America from Canada to Mexico. The ridged, gray, smooth bark looks like there are flexed muscles under it, yielding another common name of musclewood. It may also grow with many trunks and attain a form much more shrub-like, albeit large.

The pretty, oblong, tapered leaves have depressed veins and double-teeth on their edges. In spring, male and female flowers appear separately on the same tree,...

(American Hornbeam)

A slow-growing, spreading-canopied deciduous tree, American hornbeam is native to southeastern North America and subspecies virginiana has a more northerly natural range. The ridged, gray, smooth bark looks like there are flexed muscles under it, yielding another common name of musclewood. It may also grow with many trunks and attain a form much more shrub-like, albeit large.

The pretty, oblong, tapered leaves have depressed veins and double-teeth on their edges. These leaves are slightly...

(Caraway)

The aromatic, strong-tasting seeds of caraway are best known as a flavor in rye bread. This Eurasian herb is a hardy biennial. The aromatic oils in its seeds have a warm, earthy, almost anise-like flavor. If not harvested, the abundant seeds fall to the ground causing new plants to spring forth the following season. Caraway seeds are most popular in northern and eastern European and Russian cooking.

Clumps of feathery foliage are produced by caraway plants in the spring and summer of the first...

(Bitternut Hickory, Pignut Hickory, Swamp Hickory)

One of the best hickories for ornamental use, bitternut is a tall deciduous tree from eastern North America. Its straight trunk and strong spreading branches form an oval or cylindrical crown. The gray bark is rough and flaky at its surface, lacking the deep fissuring and plate-like scales typical of other hickories. The compound leaves are divided into 7 to 9 lance-shaped leaflets, with one leaflet at the tip and the others paired. They emerge from yellow buds somewhat later than the leaves of most...

(American Chestnut)

A massive deciduous tree, the American chestnut has bristled leaves and sweet edible nuts. Native to the interior eastern United States, it is a slow-growing, broad and round-canopied tree that has gray to grayish-brown bark. It also occurs in Canada's southern Ontario, making it the nation's only native chestnut. Since the 1930s, this species has been devastated by chestnut blight (Cryphonectria parasitica), so severely that remaining plants resprout from their trunks to merely form large...

(Chinese Chestnut)

A spreading, deciduous tree, the Chinese chestnut has bristled leaves and starchy edible nuts. Native to Korea and northern China, it is a slow-growing, round-canopied tree that has spirally-furrowed, gray to grayish-brown bark. The leaves are simple (no lobes), oblong in shape with a tapered point and edges with teeth that end in very short bristles. The leaf undersides are lighter in color and softly fuzzy. In late spring or early summer, the branches are filled with flowers in fluffy white strings...

(Common Chestnut, Spanish Chestnut, Sweet Chestnut)

A tall deciduous tree, the Spanish chestnut has bristled leaves and sweet edible nuts, giving it the alternate name of sweet chestnut. Native originally to western Asia, from Iran to the Balkans, it is now widely found in southern Europe and coastal northern Africa. It has been cultivated for over 3000 years. This is the chestnut popular worldwide for roasting and eating. It likely was dubbed "Spanish chestnut" because Englishmen regarding nuts imported from Spain had the best flavor.

The glossy...