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Many trees and shrubs grow best in full sun. However, Shirley Mah Kooyman, who is the Adult Education Manager at the Arboretum, found one that prefers shade.

The tree is the Blue Beech which has been cultivated since 1812. It is grown largely for its handsome bark and lovely fall color, scarlet or orange-yellow. In its natural habitat, it‚s found as an understory tree in moist woods and along riverbanks.

The blue beech is in the birch family. There are about 30 species that are mostly in Central and Eastern Asia. There are a few in Europe and Western Asia as well, but only the Carpinus Caroliniana in North and Central America.

This species is native to the eastern half of the U.S. through the Midwest. In Minnesota, it is common from the White Earth Reservation to Pine County in the north to the southern half of the state. This small tree sometimes becomes bushy and only gets from 20-30 feet tall. This tree has several names, all a part of its description. For example, the name Blue Beech comes from the bluish-grey color of its bark. Musclewood comes from its irregular furrowed and ridged bark that gives the branches and trunks a muscular appearance.

Another name is American Hornbeam from the old English words horn for tough and beam for tree. The name Water Beech is because it is often found near water and

Ironwood for its durable wood. The wood is light brown, close grained and hard. It is harvested for making tools, wedges, levers and for fuel. The wood has also been used for wheel spokes and axles as well as making charcoal for gunpowder. Blue Beech thrives in shade and can handle poor soil as long as it is well drained. The flowering period is April and May with fruits maturing in August. The flower is monoecious which means that the male and female flowers are on the same plant. The fruit is nut-like at the base of a leaf-like bract. They make a fruit cluster from 3-4 inches long.

Blue Beech doesn‚t appear to be seriously attacked be disease or insect. It is a very slow growing tree and propagation is by the seed. This is probably the reason that you would not include Blue Beech as a part of your landscape. However, in reading this article you know a little more about one of the most interesting trees in Minnesota.

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