Latin Name: Ostrya Virginiana

It doesn’t smell like roses, nor does it have a rich color, but I call it New Hampshire Rosewood, because it is just as hard and heavy as ANY tropical wood I have ever encountered. Its real name is Eastern Hophornbeam (Ostrya Virginiana), and it is one of two Hornbeams in the Eastern US; the other being American Hornbeam, having slightly less dense wood.

Looking at the wood, it seems reasonable that Ostrya is in the family Betula: the Birches. In fact, inspected only visually, it would easily be mistaken for common types of Birch. But when you heft the material, or try to cut into it, there is no mistake that this is NOT Birch! At an amazing 52 pounds to the cubic foot dry (oak 45, pine 25), hornbeam is dense, hard, and tough. A cross cut of a log will reveal that about half its area (in the center) is heartwood which is grayish brown. The sapwood is creamy white (occasionally tinged with pink) having light brown streaks, similar to birch. I have not been able to find any physical difference between the heartwood and the sapwood, although the color difference is striking.

Here is a wood which is not particularly pretty, but possess remarkable mechanical properties. It is not practical for any projects requiring large pieces with straight grain, because the trees are generally small. It is good for articles which must be of great strength and density (such as mallets, tool handles) and/or small items requiring a very high polish (chess sets).

Jon Siegel