Whomping Willow = Hornbeam Tree

[Annemehr]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "Steve" <bboyminn at ...> wrote:
>

> This hornbeam had short extremely
> thick trunk and short thick main branches, but then instead of
> sub-branches, it had clusters of thin willow like branches 
sprouting
> from the main heavy branches. In other words exactly as you see the
> Whomping Willow in the movies.
> 

It didn't grow that way naturally, it's been trimmed at the same 
spot every year (or maybe two).  That's why the trunk keeps growing 
thicker as it normally would, but then the branches are alway young 
and slim.

I saw a lot of trees like that in Britain; I guess they do that to 
keep the tree to a smaller size.

I'll keep an eye out for that book, though -- I do like trees!

Annemehr