Ostrya carpinifolia
Hop hornbeam

European hop-hornbeam (Ostrya carpinifolia) is a diploid, medium-sized deciduous tree native to southern Europe, the Balkans, western Asia, and the Caucasus region. Turkish populations can be found as small groups in mixed forests, and the species is also a key part of chasmophytic forests in the ravine habitats along the Ljutina and Lim rivers in Serbia (Sekulić et al., 2021). This tree is known for its serrated and ovate leaves and attractive, papery fruit that resembles hops, hence the name 'hop-hornbeam'. European hop-hornbeam's wood is of little commercial interest, used mainly for firewood. However, it is a hosting tree for the white truffle.

European hop-hornbeam has wide tolerance limits to moisture but avoids areas with summer drought. It is light-demanding but can grow in shady, humid conditions. It prefers well-drained soils and is often found in mixed woodlands as a dominating tree in the understory, co-dominating with species such as oak (Quercus) (Sekulić et al., 2021). European hop-hornbeam often grows on sunny hillsides and on shallow and poor limestone soils. In mountainous regions, it is often found in canyons and ravines or on scree slopes where it is difficult for more-competitive species to replace it (Sekulić et al., 2021). It is sometimes used in reforestation on degraded and dry sites as it can be a pioneer species.

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Acknowledgements

This distribution map has been developed by the European Commission Joint Research Centre (partly based on the EUFORGEN map) and released under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY 4.0)


Caudullo, G., Welk, E., San-Miguel-Ayanz, J., 2017. Chorological maps for the main European woody species. Data in Brief 12, 662-666. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2017.05.007

The following experts have contributed to the development of the EUFORGEN distribution maps:

Fazia Krouchi (Algeria), Hasmik Ghalachyan (Armenia), Thomas Geburek (Austria), Berthold Heinze (Austria), Rudi Litschauer (Austria), Rudolf Litschauer (Austria), Michael Mengl (Austria), Ferdinand Müller (Austria), Franz Starlinger (Austria), Valida Ali-zade (Azerbaijan), Vahid Djalal Hajiyev (Azerbaijan), Karen Cox (Belgium), Bart De Cuyper (Belgium), Olivier Desteucq (Belgium), Patrick Mertens (Belgium), Jos Van Slycken (Belgium), An Vanden Broeck (Belgium), Kristine Vander Mijnsbrugge (Belgium), Dalibor Ballian (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Alexander H. Alexandrov (Bulgaria), Alexander Delkov (Bulgaria), Ivanova Denitsa Pandeva (Bulgaria), Peter Zhelev Stoyanov (Bulgaria), Joso Gracan (Croatia), Marilena Idzojtic (Croatia), Mladen Ivankovic (Croatia), Željka Ivanović (Croatia), Davorin Kajba (Croatia), Hrvoje Marjanovic (Croatia), Sanja Peric (Croatia), Andreas Christou (Cyprus), Xenophon Hadjikyriacou (Cyprus), Václav Buriánek (Czech Republic), Jan Chládek (Czech Republic), Josef Frýdl (Czech Republic), Petr Novotný (Czech Republic), Martin Slovacek (Czech Republic), Zdenek Špišek (Czech Republic), Karel Vancura (Czech Republic), Ulrik Bräuner (Denmark), Bjerne Ditlevsen (Denmark), Jon Kehlet Hansen (Denmark), Jan Svejgaard Jensen (Denmark), Kalev Jðgiste (Estonia), Tiit Maaten (Estonia), Raul Pihu (Estonia), Ülo Tamm (Estonia), Arvo Tullus (Estonia), Aivo Vares (Estonia), Teijo Nikkanen (Finland), Sanna Paanukoski (Finland), Mari Rusanen (Finland), Pekka Vakkari (Finland), Leena Yrjänä (Finland), Daniel Cambon (France), Eric Collin (France), Alexis Ducousso (France), Bruno Fady (France), François Lefèvre (France), Brigitte Musch (France), Sylvie Oddou-Muratorio (France), Luc E. Pâques (France), Julien Saudubray (France), Marc Villar (France), Vlatko Andonovski (FYR Macedonia), Dragi Pop-Stojanov (FYR Macedonia), Merab Machavariani (Georgia), Irina Tvauri (Georgia), Alexander Urushadze (Georgia), Bernd Degen (Germany), Jochen Kleinschmit (Germany), Armin König (Germany), Armin König (Germany), Volker Schneck (Germany), Richard Stephan (Germany), H. H. Kausch-Blecken Von Schmeling (Germany), Georg von Wühlisch (Germany), Iris Wagner (Germany), Heino Wolf (Germany), Paraskevi Alizoti (Greece), Filippos Aravanopoulos (Greece), Andreas Drouzas (Greece), Despina Paitaridou (Greece), Aristotelis C. Papageorgiou (Greece), Kostas Thanos (Greece), Sándor Bordács (Hungary), Csaba Mátyás (Hungary), László Nagy (Hungary), Thröstur Eysteinsson (Iceland), Adalsteinn Sigurgeirsson (Iceland), Halldór Sverrisson (Iceland), John Fennessy (Ireland), Ellen O'Connor (Ireland), Fulvio Ducci (Italy), Silvia Fineschi (Italy), Bartolomeo Schirone (Italy), Marco Cosimo Simeone (Italy), Giovanni Giuseppe Vendramin (Italy), Lorenzo Vietto (Italy), Janis Birgelis (Latvia), Virgilijus Baliuckas (Lithuania), Kestutis Cesnavicius (Lithuania), Darius Danusevicius (Lithuania), Valmantas Kundrotas (Lithuania), Alfas Pliûra (Lithuania), Darius Raudonius (Lithuania), Robert du Fays (Luxembourg), Myriam Heuertz (Luxembourg), Claude Parini (Luxembourg), Fred Trossen (Luxembourg), Frank Wolter (Luxembourg), Joseph Buhagiar (Malta), Eman Calleja (Malta), Ion Palancean (Moldova), Dragos Postolache (Moldova), Gheorghe Postolache (Moldova), Hassan Sbay (Morocco), Tor Myking (Norway), Tore Skrøppa (Norway), Anna Gugala (Poland), Jan Kowalczyk (Poland), Czeslaw Koziol (Poland), Jan Matras (Poland), Zbigniew Sobierajski (Poland), Maria Helena Almeida (Portugal), Filipe Costa e Silva (Portugal), Luís Reis (Portugal), Maria Carolina Varela (Portugal), Ioan Blada (Romania), Alexandru-Lucian Curtu (Romania), Lucian Dinca (Romania), Georgeta Mihai (Romania), Mihai Olaru (Romania), Gheorghe Parnuta (Romania), Natalia Demidova (Russian Federation), Mikhail V. Pridnya (Russian Federation), Andrey Prokazin (Russian Federation), Srdjan Bojovic (Serbia) , Vasilije Isajev (Serbia), Saša Orlovic (Serbia), Rudolf Bruchánik (Slovakia), Roman Longauer (Slovakia), Ladislav Paule (Slovakia), Gregor Bozič (Slovenia), Robert Brus (Slovenia), Katarina Celič (Slovenia), Hojka Kraigher (Slovenia), Andrej Verlič (Slovenia), Marjana Westergren (Slovenia), Ricardo Alía (Spain), Josefa Fernández-López (Spain), Luis Gil Sanchez (Spain), Pablo Gonzalez Goicoechea (Spain), Santiago C. González-Martínez (Spain), Sonia Martin Albertos (Spain), Eduardo Notivol Paino (Spain), María Arantxa Prada (Spain), Alvaro Soto de Viana (Spain), Lennart Ackzell (Sweden), Jonas Bergquist (Sweden), Sanna Black-Samuelsson (Sweden), Jonas Cedergren (Sweden), Gösta Eriksson (Sweden), Markus Bolliger (Switzerland), Felix Gugerli (Switzerland), Rolf Holderegger (Switzerland), Peter Rotach (Switzerland), Marcus Ulber (Switzerland), Sven M.G. de Vries (The Netherlands), Khouja Mohamed Larbi (Tunisia), Murat Alan (Turkey), Gaye Kandemir (Turkey), Gursel Karagöz (Turkey), Zeki Kaya (Turkey), Hasan Özer (Turkey), Hacer Semerci (Turkey), Ferit Toplu (Turkey), Mykola M. Vedmid (Ukraine), Roman T. Volosyanchuk (Ukraine), Stuart A'Hara (United Kingdom), Joan Cottrell (United Kingdom), Colin Edwards (United Kingdom), Michael Frankis (United Kingdom), Jason Hubert (United Kingdom), Karen Russell (United Kingdom), C.J.A. Samuel (United Kingdom).
 

Status of Ostrya carpinifolia conservation in Europe

There have been very few genetic studies on European hop-hornbeam, but the species has been found to have significant genetic variation between and within populations (Kulac et al., 2016). Within Türkiye the species has 69.94% of its total genetic variation between populations and 26.69% within populations, showing a high level of differentiation (Kulac et al., 2016). The high differentiation between populations indicates low levels of gene flow, leading to genetic divergence. This could be because of the species’ fragmented habitats, limited seed dispersal over long distances, or the small size of existing populations leading to genetic drift and differentiation; ecogeographic factors may also affect the geneflow (Kulac et al., 2016; Sekulić et al., 2021). One of the distinctive genetic features of European hop-hornbeam is its ability to hybridize with related species, such as American hop-hornbeam (Ostrya virginiana), which can lead to genetic diversity within populations.

In terms of genetic distribution, Turkish populations show two major groupings, with some isolated groups showing higher genetic diversity (Kulac et al., 2016). Forests of European hop-hornbeam in Türkiye can be divided in clusters and variants based of differing ecology and growth conditions relating to soil, shade, topography, and altitude (Sekulić et al., 2021). However, these are ecological rather than genetic differences, demonstrating biological diversity in European hop-hornbeam forests (Sekulić et al., 2021).

 

The bibliographic review was conducted by James Chaplin of the EUFORGEN Secretariat in August 2024.

No available information.

 

The bibliographic review was conducted by James Chaplin of the EUFORGEN Secretariat in August 2024.

Genetic threats to the species include habitat fragmentation and loss and climate change, leading to inbreeding and reduced adaptability.

Populations show high differentiation with isolated populations potentially having high genetic variability and unique traits, making even small, isolated populations important for conservation. However, research into genetic diversity of European hop-hornbeam is limited and should therefore be prioritized across Europe.

 

The bibliographic review was conducted by James Chaplin of the EUFORGEN Secretariat in August 2024.

Genetic Characterisation of Ostrya carpinifolia and its GCUs

Availability of FRM

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Contacts of experts

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Further reading

Karadžić, B. 2017. Chasmophytic forests of Ostrya carpinifolia in west-Serbian canyons. Biologica Nyssana, 8(1): 73.

References

Kulac, S., Filiz, E., Cicek, E., Degermenci, Z., and Vatansever, R. 2016. Assessment of genetic diversity in natural European hophornbeam (Ostrya carpinifolia Scop.) populations in Turkey. Biotechnology & Biotechnological Equipment, 30(5): 948–955.

Sekulić, D., Karadžić, B., Kuzmanović, N., Jarić, S., Mitrović, M., and Pavlović, P. 2021. Diversity of Ostrya carpinifolia forests in ravine habitats of Serbia (S-E Europe). Diversity, 13(2): 59. https://doi.org/10.3390/d13020059