CLA-15
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Ironwood (Ostrya virginiana)
Common Name: Ironwood
Scientific Name: Ostrya virginiana
Other Names:
Leaf: Simple, alternate; oval with pointed toothed tip; 6-12cm long; double toothed edge with veins leading to larger teeth; Upper side dull dark green; underside paler.
Flower: Male catkins reddish brown, 2-3cm long; in groups of 2-3 at end of twigs all winter.
Fruit: Seeds tiny, flattened, teardrop shaped; encased singly in pillowy sacs; pale yellow in summer; brown at maturity in autumn; sacs hanging in compact bunches of 10-20.
Twig: Slender, wiry, mahogany color, shiny with tiny lenticels often coated with gray film.
Bark: On younger trees, dull brown with lenticels; On older trees, grayish brown, with distinctive long narrow vertical plates that are easily rubbed off.
Wood: Very heavy, hard, tough, durable, impact-resistant, close grained; odorless.
Facts About this Tree:
1. To find one, look for its shaggy, peeling bark strips and sharp-toothed, pointed leaves.
2. The name ironwood can be confusing as this name is also used for the blue beech (Carpinus caroliniana).
3. As its name suggests, ironwood produces an extremely hard wood that is used for mallets and tool handles.
4. Native people boiled ironwood’s heartwood into a healthful tonic and treatment for fevers, scaly skin, and indigestion.
Lat,Long: 43.7515,-79.6491
Diameter (DBH): 44.4cm
Last Year Modified: 2015
Carbon Stored in this Tree: 251.313kg of C
Equivalent CO2: 921.389kg of C
Find more trees in Claireville Conservation Area
Reference
1. Blouin, Glen. 2001. An Eclectic Guide to Trees East of the Rockies. Erin, ON. Boston Mills Press
2. Petrides George A. 1998. A Field Guide to Eastern Trees: Eastern United States and Canada, Second Edition. NY. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
3. Ministry of Natural Resources. 2013. The Tree Atlas. Retrieved from http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/ClimateChange/2ColumnSubPage/STDPROD_101493.html
4. Photo Credit: Kathryn Chin; Paul Wray; Natural Resources Canada
Copyright 2015:Association for Canadian Educational Resources
White tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) can often be spotted along the Humber River. Many mammals such as the white tailed deer use ravines and connected greenspace as natural corridors to navigate urban development. This explains why large mammals are sometimes spotted in highly urbanized areas along the Humber River. The Terrestrial Natural Heritage System Strategy is one way TRCA is working to protect natural heritage such as wildlife corridors within the Humber River watershed. Visit http://trca.on.ca/the-living-city/land/terrestrial-natural-heritage/ for more information.
