This plant goes by many names, including American, Eastern, or Woolly Hop-hornbeam, Roughbark Ironwood, Deerwood, and Leverwood. It is a perennial tree that typically grows 30 to 50 feet in height, with a trunk that looks like sinewy muscles and a rounded crown of slender, spreading branches. Catkins appear in April just before or with the appearance of new leaves, and fruits are borne in a hanging, hoplike structure. It prefers shady areas, but can also grow in the sun, and does best in rich, well-drained, dry to moist soils.