The natural range of the Hornbeam, USDA Plant Finder, 24 October 2014

Carpinus caroliniana impacts a wide swath of North America. The Hornbeam is found throughout the eastern United States and the southern parts of the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario. The tree reaches its western limit just past the Mississippi river in Missouri. Interestingly, entirely separate populations of the tree are also seen in Honduras and central Mexico. The tree can live in a variety of settings, but prefers bottomland, and the moist soil found bordering streams. While it can grow effectively in shade, adult trees need an opening in the canopy to reach full maturity. The American hornbeam is an understory tree, meaning that it can grow under and around larger types of trees such as oak and maple. Because of this, the hornbeam provides depth to our forests and is an important supporting actor in our habitat.