The female flowers of Betulaceae lack petals while those of Corylaceae can be numerous. If adopted, the Corylaceae contain both the Carpinoideae and Coryloideae. The story of Ticodendraceae is nicely reported in a series of paper published in volume 78 of the Annales of the Missouri Botanical Garden . The family is well-known for it fine woods, nuts, and often rather exotic cultivars. Many species are important sources of food for small animals and birds, and may be of use in reclamation efforts.
Several species have roots with nitrogen-fixing actinomycetes.
Several species of Alnus and Betula can cause allegenic reactions and the hairs on the fruits of Ostrya can cause skin irritations . Alnus maritima has a history of folk-medicine use as does Fagus sylvatica . Species of Carpinus are being promoted as a new crop . The outward appearance of the plant proved to be deceptive as the wood anatomy is advanced, the inflorescences the result of specialization, and the pollen typical of that encountered among the hamamelids. The whorled, scalelike leaves may be regarded as diagnostic for the order within the Hamamelididae especially if one remembers that the ovary is a compound structure.