Carpinus betulus Frans Fontaine - Hornbeam

Carpinus betulus 'Frans Fontaine' is an excellent variety of common hornbeam with an upright, dense, and compact habit. It reaches approximately 10m (32ft 10in) in height and only 3m (9ft 10in) in width at maturity, making it very suitable as a tree for lining streets and even narrow avenues, or as a border plant in a medium-sized garden. Its wrinkled and serrated leaves turn golden yellow in autumn and persist on grey-brown branches before falling. This vigorous hornbeam is very hardy and resistant, and is extremely easy to grow.

Carpinus betulus, sometimes called hornbeam, is a tree native to forests in Europe and Asia Minor (Turkey and Ukraine). It has a pyramidal habit that rounds out over time. Its straight trunk is covered in pale grey to green-grey bark. The bark is smooth on young hornbeams and cracks as the tree ages. Its flowers are monoecious, either male or female, with slightly different appearances and appear in autumn (male catkins) and spring (female catkins). Carpinus betulus produces hanging clusters of fruits, 3 to 6cm (1.2 to 2.4in) long, that are green and turn yellow-brown when fully ripe in late September. These fruits are called samaras and are toxic.

The 'Frans Fontaine' variety is a Dutch cultivar selected in 1983. It stands out from the species with its narrow and remarkably compact upright habit, becoming more oval with age. At maturity, this small tree will not exceed 8 to 10m (26ft 2in to 32ft 10in) in height and 2m (6ft 7in) in width. Its dark grey-brown branches bear compound leaves that are oval and doubly serrated, measuring 7 to 12cm (2.8 to 4.7in) long. The foliage is a tender green in spring and summer, turning a bright golden yellow in autumn.

The 'Frans Fontaine' hornbeam is a very hardy and undemanding plant that adapts to any sufficiently deep soil, even dry soil, and is suitable for urban environments. It is particularly well-suited for lining narrow avenues or garden borders. It can also be integrated into a hedge, combined with other deciduous shrubs with autumn foliage such as Cotinus, deciduous Euonymus, Persian ironwood, or Montpellier maple, all of which are equally easy to grow in all regions.

The wood of the common hornbeam is used for heating, papermaking, and even for making tools and children's toys. It is a shrub that rarely lives longer than 100 years in nature.