Hornbeams belong to the tree family of Betulaceae, the family of birches. The trees in the above pictures have similar leaves, but they differ mainly for the shape of their fruits. They are fairly tall trees, which flourish in Europe, in mid-altitude woods. The hop hornbeam owes his common name to the fact that its fruits look like those of hop, one of the main ingredient of beer, and its scientific name (Ostrya) derives from the ancient Greek term ostreon, meaning shell, because seeds are closely protected like in a shell. The North American type of hop hornbeam (Ostrya Virginiana) is slightly smaller than its European sibling.
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