Etymology
Fagus is Latin for beech; grandifolia is from the Latin grandis (for large) and folium (for leaf).
Native Habitat
Moist woodlands.
Garden Uses
American beech is a handsome shade tree for a large space, wide open lawn or park. Unfortunately, trees in Maine are plagued with two problems -- beech bark disease complex (perpetrated by a scale insect and two fungi) that produces unsightly cankers on the otherwise smooth bark, and beech leaf disease, which is not well understood but thought to be spread by a nematode and significantly shortens the lives of affected trees.
Overview
The American beech is a large deciduous tree commonly found throughout Maine. It has a dense, upright oval to elliptical crown. This species is known to root sucker and colonize the understory of deciduous forests.
Leaves and Stems
American beech is typically a low branched tree with a single mature trunk that is 2’ to 3’ in diameter. The bark is smooth, thin, and light gray and remains so as the tree ages when healthy. The branches spread horizontally. The alternately arranged leaves are oval to elliptical, up to 5” long, and have widely spaced hooked marginal teeth and prominent parallel veins. Each vein ends at the tip of one of the marginal teeth. The dead leaves are light tan and tend to remain on the tree throughout the winter (marmescent).
Flowers
The tree is monoecious (it has both male and female reproductive parts). The male flowers are arranged in drooping, long-stemmed clusters while the female flowers are in short spikes. The winter leaf buds are long, slender, scaled and sharp-pointed.
Fruit/Seed
The female flowers give way to triangular nuts enclosed by spiky bracts. The beechnuts ripen in the fall and are edible.
Animal Associates
Beechnuts are consumed by many varieties of wildlife, especially squirrels, raccoons, bears and game birds.
Propagation
Sow fresh seeds or stratify seeds for spring planting.
Ethnobotanical Uses
Young leaves can be cooked for greens in the spring. Early settlers extracted the oil from beechnuts to consume and to use as lamp oil.
Garden Location
Entry Garden (see garden map)
Sources
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Plant Profile by Kathy Kling