American Beech Tree Information

The American Beech, (Fagus grandifolia), is a deciduous tree or the northern forest that grows abundantly in second-growth stands. As an ornamental, the tree can live for several hundred years and reach a very large size. The light gray bark of these trees is very distinctive of the species and partly responsible for its popularity as a planted tree.

The Beech Family

The American Beech is part of the Beech Family of flowering plants (Fagaceae), which also includes the oaks and sweet chestnuts. Within the beech family there are eight genera and about a 1,000 species. Fagus, the generic name for the beeches, includes several temperate varieties found throughout the northern hemisphere. Overall, this plant family is filled with trees and shrubs that produce unisexual (male or female) flowers, which produce a single-seeded nut in the fall.

Characteristics

The American Beech is found almost exclusively east of the Mississippi River with a north-south range that begins in southern Canada and extends into the deep South. Most commonly, the American Beech is a northern tree that frequents the northern hardwood forests and the Appalachian highlands. The leave is single, sharply-toothed and alternate, forming a rich, copper-colored, autumn leaf. The tree is monoecious with male and female flowers occurring on the same tree. The spring flowers produce a fall nut.

Ecological Niche

The beech is shade tolerant and can survive a long time as an understory tree. Eventually, this tree finds in way into the canopy, which it often shares with sugar maple, yellow birch, white pine and hemlock. Fire suppression favors the presence of beech as do well-drained soils with abundant moisture. Beech is probably more present in today's second-growth forest than in was before European settlement.

Beechnuts

The nut of the American Beech is called the beechnut and is avidly consumed by all kinds of wild animals, including black bears, wild turkeys, squirrels, raccoons, deer and many species of wild birds. The single seed comes in a small spiny husk and is sometimes consumed by the human population. A product called Beechnut Gum used to be sold in the United States. Even though the wrapping featured an image of a beechnut in its half opened husk, the popular gum had nothing to do with the American beech.

Beech Wood

Although it is a water resistant, white hardwood, American beech is used sparingly as a timber product. The most common uses include toys, cookware, furniture and beer barrels. During Colonial times beech wood was used for making water wheels. Today, beech is often harvested as a firewood.

References

• Science-jrank: The Beech Family
• USDA Forest Service Tree Atlas: American Beech
• Virginia Tech Forest Resources: The American Beech
• Floridata: Fagus grandifolia
• Univ. of Florida, Horticulture: American Beech