Fagus grandifolia
A shade-tolerant climax tree with edible nuts and smooth bark.
Last updated
Fagus grandifolia, known as the American beech or North American beech, is a species of deciduous tree native to eastern North America. It is one of two beech species native to the continent, the other occurring in Mexico.
Scientific classification
- CladeTracheophytes
- CladeAngiosperms
- CladeEudicots
- CladeRosids
- OrderFagales
- FamilyFagaceae
- GenusFagus
- SpeciesFagus grandifolia
Named by Ehrh.
Close relatives
Other species of Fagus with a Codexery entry.
- Fagus sylvatica Fagus sylvatica
Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Fagus grandifolia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Conservation status
Least Concern (LC)
- LC▲ this species
- NT
- VU
- EN
- CR
- EW
- EX
Source: IUCN Red List assessment · GBIF copy of the Red List category
Where the fagus grandifolia has been recorded
Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (91,740 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 360 inland records left out (institution coordinates).
Map: drawn by Codexery. Data: GBIF occurrence search (records CC0 / CC BY) · Natural Earth basemap (public domain)
Quick Facts
- Species
- grandifolia
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Fagus grandifolia is a large deciduous tree growing to 16–35 meters tall, with smooth, silver-gray bark. Its winter twigs are long and slender, with two rows of overlapping scales on the buds, and the buds are thin and long, resembling cigars.
The leaves are dark green, yellow below, simple and sparsely toothed, 6–12 cm long. The tree is monoecious, with male and female flowers on the same tree, and its fruit is a small, sharply angled nut borne in pairs in a soft-spined, four-lobed husk. It reproduces both by seedling dispersal and by root sprouts.
Reader's Guide
Fagus grandifolia is significant as a dominant tree in late-successional forests, often forming beech–maple climax communities with sugar maple. Its nuts provide food for numerous animals, including birds, raccoons, deer, squirrels, and black bears, and were a primary food for the extinct passenger pigeon. The wood is hard and used for bentwood furniture and firewood, though it rots easily.
The tree is threatened by beech bark disease, caused by the European beech scale insect and fungi, and by beech leaf disease from a nematode. Despite its high moisture needs, it is intolerant of urban pollution, salt, and soil compaction. Its smooth bark has historically been carved with names and dates, such as a Louisville tree bearing 'D. Boone kill a Bar 1803.' The species is also known for its edible nuts and leaves, and its inner bark can be used as emergency food.
More in Trees & Shrubs
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Fagus grandifolia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List assessment.
- Occurrence records: GBIF (CC0 / CC BY). Basemap: Natural Earth (public domain).
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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