Hornbeam can grow up to 30 metres tall, but is often clipped and used for hedging. It has green male catkins in spring, and the female flowers ripen to produce hanging clusters of 3-lobed bracts, each with a nut at its base. The leaves are similar to those of beech, but are double-toothed. The leaf-buds are long and sharp, but a little broader than those of beech.

Male catkins		Female catkins		Leaves		Nuts

Leaf buds