There has been a common belief for generations that the beech is proof against lightning, and recent experiments prove that beech wood offers considerably greater resistance to the electric current than oak, poplar, or willow; so our ancestors were partly right. The wood is hard, strong, and tough, and will take a high polish.
51. Hornbeam. Closely related to the beeches are two little trees which have delicate birchlike foliage and wood of great hardness,—the hornbeam, or blue beech, and the hop hornbeam, or ironwood.
Fig. 109. Leaf of American Beech
Fig. 110. Ironwood, or Hop Hornbeam
The leaves of these two varieties are quite similar, that of the ironwood being somewhat the larger.
The name hop hornbeam is derived from the fruit, which resembles the hop, and the name ironwood from the great strength and hardness of the wood.