Carpinus japonica

Carpinus japonica, the Japanese hornbeam, is a hornbeam endemic to Japan but cultivated elsewhere as an ornamental. It is a deciduous tree growing to 12–15 metres (39–49 ft) tall with leaves that are longer and darker than the European hornbeam (Carpinus betulus). The leaves are dark, glossy and slender, with 20-24 pairs of parallel sunken veins; every third tooth is whisker-tipped. The prominent catkins are green turning to brown. This tree has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.