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''Carpinus betulus'', commonly known as the European or common hornbeam, is a hornbeam native to Western Asia and central, eastern, and southern Europe, including southern England.〔http://www.nhm.ac.uk/fff-pcp/glob.pl?report=pcfllist&group=&sort=&inpos=nr6〕 It requires a warm climate for good growth, and occurs only at elevations up to . It grows in mixed stands with oak, and in some areas beech, and is also a common tree in scree forests. ==Description== It is a deciduous small to medium-size tree reaching heights of , rarely , and often has a fluted and crooked trunk. The bark is smooth and greenish-grey, even in old trees. The buds, unlike those of the beech, are long at the most, and pressed close to the twig. The leaves are alternate, long, with prominent veins giving a distinctive corrugated texture, and a serrated margin. It is monoecious, and the wind-pollinated male and female catkins appear in early summer after the leaves. The fruit is a small long nut, partially surrounded by a three-pointed leafy involucre long; it matures in autumn. The seeds often do not germinate till the spring of the second year after sowing. The hornbeam is a prolific seeder and is marked by vigorous natural regeneration. ''Carpinus betulus'' is a shade-loving tree, which prefers moderate soil fertility and moisture. It has a shallow, wide-spreading root system and is marked by the production of stump sprouts when cut back. Because it stands up well to cutting back and has dense foliage, it has been much used in landscape gardening, mainly as tall hedges and for topiary. The wood is heavy and hard, and is used for tools and building constructions. It also burns hot and slowly, making it a very suitable firewood.〔http://www.gardeningcentral.org/hornbeam_tree/hornbeam_tree.html Tree Profile for Hornbeam〕 This was the reason for lopping and hence indirectly the saving of Epping Forest, where the hornbeam was a favoured pollarding tree. :''See also List of Lepidoptera that feed on Carpinus'' The leaves provide food for some animals, including Lepidoptera such as the case-bearer moth ''Coleophora anatipennella''. There are a number of notable forests where ''C. betulus'' is a dominant tree species, among which are: *Epping Forest, Essex/London, UK *Halltorp Nature Reserve, Öland, Sweden 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Carpinus betulus」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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