Carpinus japonica Chinese Lantern - Japanese hornbeam

Carpinus japonica Chinese Lantern is a variety of Japanese Hornbeam selected for its particularly decorative fruiting. This small deciduous tree produces clusters of pendulous cones, which have earned it the name "Japanese lantern". Its moderate development suits medium-sized gardens and small avenues. It is very hardy, and it adapts to a wide range of moist soils.

Belonging to the Betulaceae family, the Chinese Lantern cultivar derives from the Japanese species Carpinus japonica, which has historical synonyms like Distegocarpus carpinus or Carpinus distegocarpus. Its natural range covers Japan (Honshū, Shikoku, Kyūshū), where the tree grows in clear undergrowth; the species was introduced into cultivation in the West in the late 19th century.
'Chinese Lantern’ is a horticultural selection introduced to the United Kingdom before 2020, noted for its particularly showy fruits in clusters reminiscent of lanterns. Its growth is rather slow. It reaches 8 to 10 m in height with a 6 to 8 m spread at maturity; at 10 years, it measures about 4 m high and 3 m wide for the crown. The habit is naturally rounded to broadly ovate, with a regular framework and secondary branches arranged in soft tiers. The short trunk branches quite low and can remain single if trained from a young age; otherwise, the plant tends to develop 2 or 3 secondary trunks from the base. The bark of the trunk(s) is light grey, smooth when young with fine longitudinal striations, then becomes slightly scaly and flaky on old specimens. The twigs are slender, brown-grey, and well-branched. The crown has a gently domed top and a volume that widens gradually.
The alternate, ovate to narrowly ovate leaves measure 8 to 10 cm long and are doubly dentate, with 20 to 24 pairs of very prominent veins; they are bright green in summer, then turn yellow in autumn before falling. The insignificant flowering, in April, consists of separate male and female catkins on the same tree. In late summer and autumn, the tree is adorned with elongated and pendulous fruits composed of imbricate bracts; on this cultivar, these cones are wider and more visible than on the species. The roots are finely branched, without a markedly aggressive character. The hardiness of this hornbeam is around -15/-20°C.

The Chinese Lantern variety is perfect when looking for a small tree with a regular crown and interesting fruiting. Plant it in non-scorching sun or partial shade, in ordinary soil that remains moist, even clayey or slightly calcareous. As a standalone specimen near a terrace, it creates a Japanese-inspired atmosphere. You can pair it with a Japanese maple Acer palmatum Little Princess, a Cornus kousa Heart Throb for its pink bracts and autumn fruits, a Viburnum plicatum Kilimanjaro Sunrise for its tiered flowering and fruiting, and a Hydrangea quercifolia Jetstream for its white panicles and colourful foliage late in the season. Ferns and Carex oshimensis will look splendid at the foot of these bushes.

In Japan, the species C. japonica is appreciated for its very sculptural "plicate" leaves; the dead leaves, rich in humus, are sometimes left as mulch to improve the soil at the foot of the bushes.