Habitat

• native to southeastern Europe
• zone 4

Habit and Form

• a deciduous tree
• 40' to 50' tall
• 20' to 25' wide
• pyramidal crown
• medium growth rate
• medium texture

Summer Foliage

• alternate leaf arrangement
• simple, deciduous leaves
• obovate leaf shape with a cordate leaf base
• up to 6" long
• doubly serrated leaf margin
• pubescence on petiole and leaf veins
• dark green leaf color

Autumn Foliage

• yellow to purplish-red fall color

Flowers

• monoecious
• 2" to 3" long catkins
• blooms early spring

Fruit

• nut, 0.5" across
• nut enclosed in involucre
• matures in September
• edible

Bark

• pale brown bark
• flaky bark
• pubescent, gray-brown stems

Culture

• tolerant of extreme conditions
• a well-drained, loamy soil
• full sun

Landscape Use

• for naturalized areas
• for fruit
• for difficult, dry sites
• as a barrier
• for naturalistic areas
• for form
• street tree
• urban tolerant

Liabilities

• difficult to find
• hard to propagate and transplant
• no serious pest problems

ID Features

• alternate leaf arrangement
• pubescent petioles
• pubescent, large, green-brown buds
• nut with an involucre covering
• large male catkins in spring
• pubescent, young, grayish stems

Propagation

• by seed
• by cuttings

Cultivars/Varieties

• hard to find