UFO — Unidentified Forest Hornbeam

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Lately, I've noticed a few of these understory shrubs (see pictures below) in various tracts of forest, growing in silty soil near water. Surrounding trees include predominantly Liquidambar styraciflua, Quercus rubra, Quercus palustris, Pinus virginiana, and Pinus taeda. I've been trying for weeks to find the name of the species, but it's unlike anything in the field guides I've used. Based on the growth habit and fine twig structure, I believe it may be in the Betulaceae family, but it's just a hunch. I'd be grateful if anyone knows what this plant is called.

 

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Here's the trunk base of a larger specimen.

 

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Zoomed out a little:

 

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A large, tangled clump of them:

 

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Some bark close-ups:

 

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Lastly the buds and twigs. On the same plant, twigs can be either long and thick with large internodes or very slender and zig-zagged with shorter internodes like a hornbeam with excellent ramification. The leggy twigs have only small buds. The small twigs have mostly small buds, but sometimes the terminal bud is huge and bright red. Lastly as winter has progressed, last year's growth has dulled from bright red like an autumn maple to a softer reddish brown.

 

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I wear a medium-sized glove, if that helps you judge the size better.

 

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Large and small terminal buds on the slender-sized twigs:

 

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Here's the tip of one of the thicker twigs next to some smaller twigs, both on the same branch.

 

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The finer twigs tend to grow in perfectly horizontal pads like the one pictured below, whereas the thicker twigs shoot straight upwards.

 

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I took a large number of hardwood cuttings, and with that dense twig structure and attractive bark, I'm hoping they'll root and make excellent bonsai, but it's a shame I don't know what they're called.