Content
- Worth knowing about the hornbeam leaf
- This is how the hornbeam leaf is structured
- Difference to the leaves of the European beech
- Different colors throughout the year
- The hornbeam leaves stay on the tree for a long time
- Brown foliage on hornbeams
- Tips
The sawn edge makes it easy to spot the hornbeam leaf
Worth knowing about the hornbeam leaf
The hornbeam leaf is similar to that of the European beech, though it comes from another plant family. However, there are a few small differences that can tell if you have a hornbeam or beech in front of you.
This is how the hornbeam leaf is structured
Difference to the leaves of the European beech
The leaves of the red beech are also green, unless it is the special form of beech with red leaves. The leaf form of both trees is so similar that they are often confused.
The difference is that the leaves of the red beech are more likely to sprout than the hornbeam. The hornbeam leaf does not shine so much.
The structure is a bit coarser on hornbeam leaves and the leaf feels "older". The leaves of the hornbeam turn bright yellow in the fall, while the leaves of the beech trees take on an orange-red color.
Different colors throughout the year
Hornbeams offer a different view in every season, regardless of the shoot and the respective pruning.
The leaf color changes during the year. When budding, the leaf is of a whole pale green and has a slight hairiness. In summer, it turns to a bright green.
In autumn, the hornbeam leaves turn yellow. Then they dry up and hang brown in the tree until spring.
The hornbeam leaves stay on the tree for a long time
A special feature makes the hornbeam a popular hedge plant. The leaves remain hanging on the tree for a very long time. Although they look brown and dry out, they still provide good privacy.
In the dry leaves overwinter many garden beneficials. This circumstance makes the hornbeam a valuable garden plant.
The last brown leaves fall off only when the hornbeam new expels in early spring. Then there are shiny brown necromates on which the tender green fresh leaves grow.
Brown foliage on hornbeams
That the leaves of the hornbeam become brown and dry up to winter, is a normal process, because the hornbeam is not an evergreen tree.
If the hornbeam first turns brown, fungal diseases can be responsible for it.
Hornbeams tolerate dry periods and even flooding for a short time. If the tree is too moist or dry for too long, the leaves also turn brown and dry up prematurely.
Tips
The fruit of the hornbeam, a nut, is surrounded by a leaf. The cotyledon encloses the fruit initially and supplies it with nutrients. In autumn, the leaf opens and serves as a propeller, with which the nut is blown to a place far away from the tree.