In its youth Ironwood looks a lot like a Birch Tree, but with maturity, the bark goes grey and shreddy. Never could one confuse the hardness and strength of the Ironwood for the relative softness of Birch. Known to forestry technicians as a weed tree because it rarely attains sawlog size, the Ironwood gives nursery shade to other trees' seedlings while it grows one of the densest, heaviest and strongest closed-grained woods in the Northeastern Woodlands. I recently saw a Hop Hornbeam (another name for Ironwood) that would take 2 people to encircle growing on a hill overlooking the southern shore of Georgian Bay.

It is the inner strength that people have sought and used from the heartwood chips of the Ironwood. When a strong change was needed, a handful of the chips was boiled in 2 pints of water until only one pint of a very strong decoction remained. About half a teacup was drunk three times a day as a tonic, a blood purifier, an antiperiodic for intermittent fevers, an alterative for indigestion, a nerve restorative, for kidney trouble, neuralgia, and general poor health.

The farm where I live had its forest heavily harvested (thankfully by horse skidding rather than mechanical skidder) soon before I moved here twenty nine years ago. The Ironwood has sprung up densely to fill and shade the holes. As a result of my thinning efforts, I enjoy the warmth of its hot logs on cold winter days as many other woodland people have done for ages.

The strength and elasticity of Ironwood's fine wood suit it admirably for axe, sledge, and other tool handles. It is even used for the sole of hand wood planes, and was used for the runners on horse-drawn sleighs. Another popular nickname, 'Leverwood,' derives from these uses. It is said that even Hickory is not the equal of Ironwood for strength and hardness. I find that I have to select and split my logs carefully for many Ironwood trees grow with a twist.

The name 'Hop Hornbeam' comes from the similarity of the Ironwood's bladder-like seed-bearing pods to those of the hop vine. The seeds are eaten by grouse, bobwhite, pheasant and ptarmigan. Rabbits and deer browse the twigs.