American Beech
Classification:
Family: Fagaceae, beech family
Genus species: Fagus grandifolia
Leaves:
Leaves are thin with a papery texture, elliptical in shape, long-pointed at tip. Each vein of the leaf ends in a tooth at the leaf's edge.
Bark:
Bark is light gray, smooth.
Flowers:
Male and female flowers are separate but on same tree (monoecious). Male flowers are small, yellow, arranged in a ball hanging on a slender stalk. Female flowers are small, bordered by hairy reddish scales.
Fruit:
Fruits are light brown prickly burs. Each bur contains four nuts. Nuts are sweet, edible.
Twigs:
Twigs are light gray, slender. Terminal bud is long, thin, pointed with many scales.
Roots:
Beech trees are clonal, spread asexually through roots.
More Information:
The genus name Fagus is from the Latin for "beech tree" and the species name grandifolia means "with large leaves."
Photos:Beech leaf
Beech leaves
Beech nuts
Beech bark
Beech twig
