ironwood

(botany) Any of a number of hardwood trees in the United States, including the American hornbeam, the buckwheat, and the eastern hophornbeam.

The name given to any of at least 10 kinds of tree in the United States, including the American hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana), eastern hophombeam (Ostrya virginiana), buckthorn bumelia (Bumelia lycioides), tough bumelia (B. tenax), buckwheat tree (Cliftonia monophylla), and swamp cyrilla or swamp ironwood (Cyrilla racemiflora). Leadwood (Krugiodendron ferreum), a native of southern Florida, has the highest specific gravity of all woods native to the United States and is also known as black ironwood. See also Hophornbeam; Hornbeam.