Plant Family: Fagaceae
Growth Form: Large tree, 20 to 30 meters tall, with a short thick trunk and an impressive spreading crown.
Leaves / Buds: Alternate, simple, elliptic, with straight lateral veins and coarsely toothed margins, 5 – 15 cm long; buds narrow and sharply pointed; dead leaves are often retained on the tree well into winter.
Bark: Light gray and smooth on both younger and older trees, twigs zig-zag.
Flowers: Male flowers on rounded heads, female flowers in short sparse clusters in the leaf axils, April to May.
Fruits: Brown burs that open to reveal 2 or 3 triangular edible nuts; September to October.
Habitat: Prefers fertile, well-drained soil of woods and forested slopes; may form pure stands; widely planted as a shade tree.
Range: Throughout New England and most of the eastern United States and Canada west to the Mississippi River. Disjunct populations exist in the highlands of northern Mexico.
Similar Species: European Beech (F. sylvatica) has similar bark but the leaves have rounded teeth, and it does not commonly naturalize; American Chestnut has narrower leaves with more prominent teeth and is currently only found as a small tree.
Comments: American Beech is a climax species of the hardwood forests of New England, often found in conjunction with Sugar Maple, Yellow Birch, and other dominant forest trees.
