Plant Family: Betulaceae
Growth Form: Small, attractive, understory tree with horizontally spreading branches; usually not more than 5 to 10 meters tall.
Leaves: Alternate, simple, double-toothed, ovate to elliptic, with a pointed apex, variably downy beneath; some of the lateral veins are forked.
Bark: Gray to brown, with narrow raised scales, producing a distinctive shaggy appearance.
Flowers: Male catkins form in the fall, usually in threes, and mature the following spring; female catkins solitary, late April to June.
Fruits: Overlapping inflated bracts, resembling a cluster of hops, each bladder enclosing a single small nut, August to October.
Habitat: Rich woods, hillsides with gravelly soils, shade tolerant.
Range: Widespread throughout the eastern United States and Canada.
Similar Species: The leaves of Ironwood are similar, but that species has smooth, gray, sinewy bark.
Comments: The nuts are eaten by turkey, bobwhite, pheasant and small mammals.
