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The Ironwood is a shade-loving tree of small size, reaching 9 - 15 metres in height, with a slender, single or multi-trunked trunk and sparse foliage. It is called as such as its wood is iron-like, thereby justifying the fact it’s renowned as one of the world's densest woods. It is found throughout the Algonquin Highlands on dry slopes and ridges and even moist slopes in the shade of other hardwoods. Ironwood is one of the longest-lived Algonquin area trees, and surviving 800 years or more.
Its leaves alternate, are finely toothed, paperlike in texture and pale green in colour, and are 7.5 to 13 cm long. The buds are small, brown and pointed, and the twigs are slender and shiny brown.
The fruit is clusters of flattened , leafy, pod-like structures, about 5 cm in size, and contain one to four shiny brown seeds or nutlets, often eaten by birds or squirrels. The light brown or grey bark is finely ridged and covered with fine thin scales. Rabbits will eat the bark and twigs.
Indian tribes use Ironwood beans and legume seeds for food; its flowers, leaves, bark and roots as medicine; and its wood as rosary beads and crosses for religious ceremonies.
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