Ironwood, Ostrya virginiana, is also known as American hophornbeam. It is in the birch family and the leaves are similar. Distinctive features are the bark that becomes shaggier with age, and the fruit structure, which is like a catkin consisting of bladder like bracts enclosing a nutlet. It is as less of a stretch to say this resembles the female strombiles of hop Humulus lupulus L., than it is for the round samara fruits of hop-tree, Ptelea trifoliata L. Because ironwood is a slow growing understory tree the wood is relatively hard and dense, hence the name and thus it is mostly used for tool handles. The Alabama state champion hophornbeam is found at Buck's Pocket State park on the DeKalb county side of South Sauta Creek on the inside the first curve of the main road where it intersects the begining of the primative campground trail/road. The champion hophornbeam is 55 feet tall, has a girth of 37 inches and an average limb spread of 39 feet, giving a total point value of 102.