The hornbeam is one of my favourite trees. Some folk feel that the beech is more delicate and refined but I love the deeply veined leaves of the hornbeam with their sumptuous deep brown colour at this time of year.
The wood is as tough as they come. It was used in days gone by to make yokes for oxen hence the name since the yoke was placed behind the horns of the beast. It was also used to make butcher’s blocks and gear pegs for traditional windmills.
Charcoal from this wood produces a heat strong enough to smelt iron and would have been used in ancient times for the production of iron implements.
The hornbeam is a favourite of the hawfinch who feast on the nuts in the autumn and winter.
The hornbeam takes readily to pollarding. The harvest of bundles of wood was prized by London bakers for its long steady burning qualities.
In traditional medicine the leaves are used to treat feelings of exhaustion and tiredness that come before an effort has even been made.
But for me, the deeply textured leaves at this time of year win hands down every-time. They remind me of those hand-made crisps you can buy in posh supermarkets.
This is an excerpt from my journal on www.englishrosegarden.co.uk
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