Carpinus is a genus of 30-40 species, mostly medium-sized trees, found in temperate forests of the Northern Hemisphere. They belong to the birch family, Betulaceae, but tolerate heat and drought better than some other members of that family.
By far the most common species in our region is C. betulus, the European hornbeam. Almost all of our local trees belong to fastigiate varieties, meaning they have a very distinctive dense, upright branch structure. This species seems to grow decently well here but has no particularly outstanding features in my view. If its unique appearance appeals to you, it is not a bad tree but seems to suffer sometimes during summer heat. This could spell trouble for the tree in the future as our climate warms. I've heard there also may be a few individuals of C. caroliniana locally but have yet to notice them myself.
By far the most common species in our region is C. betulus, the European hornbeam. Almost all of our local trees belong to fastigiate varieties, meaning they have a very distinctive dense, upright branch structure. This species seems to grow decently well here but has no particularly outstanding features in my view. If its unique appearance appeals to you, it is not a bad tree but seems to suffer sometimes during summer heat. This could spell trouble for the tree in the future as our climate warms. I've heard there also may be a few individuals of C. caroliniana locally but have yet to notice them myself.