Also known as Musclewood, Ironwood, Blue Beech, and Water Beech, this slow-growing, deciduous, understory tree has an attractive globular form, reaching 20 to 35 feet in height. It is easily grown in average, medium moisture soil in partial to full shade, preferring moist, organically rich soils. Mature trees have smooth, gray trunks with furrows that give them a muscle fiber-like appearance, fittingly earning it the nickname, Musclewood.