American beech

Leaves

Form

• Deciduous, alternate, simple
• Narrowly oval, tip long-pointed
• Base wedge-shaped; leathery
• Veins straight, parallel, 9–14 per side
• Often remain on tree into winter

Length

• 6–14 cm

Colour

• Upper surface dark bluish-green
• Lower surface lighter

Margin

• Each vein ends in a tooth

Buds

Form

• Terminal bud long
• Lateral buds off-set above a leaf scar
• Diverging widely from the twig
• Toward tip of twig large, slender, pointed, short-stalked, with many scales in 4 rows
• On basal part of twig very small, inconspicuous, stalkless
• Bud scales arranged in 4 rows
• Leaf scars semicircular with several indistinct vein scars

Length

• Lateral buds toward tip of twig 15–25 mm

Colour

• Scale tips brownish-grey

Twigs

Form

• Slender, slightly zigzag

Colour

• Light brown

Flowers

Form

• Pollen flowers in ball-like clusters at the end of long pendulous stalks
• Seed flowers in small clusters of 2–4 toward the shoot tip

Structure

• Monoecious

Floral timing

• As the leaves unfold

Fruits

Form

• Edible nuts
• Usually in pairs within a bristly husk opening into 4 parts
• Each nut a sharp 3-sided pyramid

Length

• 18–22 mm

Colour

• Husk reddish-brown

Timing

• Ripen and shed in autumn

Seedlings

Form

• Cotyledons fleshy, broad, notched
• Raised 3–6 cm above the surface
• First 2 true leaves opposite, 3–6 cm above the cotyledons
• A terminal bud forms immediately above them

Colour

• Upper surface green
• Lower surface white

Bark

Form

• Thin, smooth

Colour

• Light bluish-grey, often mottled, darker with age

Wood

Texture

• Heavy, hard, tough, strong, not durable

Colour

• Light brown to reddish-brown

Morphology

• Diffuse-porous, growth layers obvious
• Rays of 2 sizes, the larger ones very conspicuous

Uses

• Flooring, furniture, containers, handles, woodenware

Size

Height

• To 25 m

Diameter

• To 100 cm

Maximum age

• 200 years

Tree form

Open-grown

Trunk

• Short, sinuous

Crown

• Broad

Root system

• Wide-spreading

Habitat

Site

• Moist, well-drained slopes, rich bottomlands, often in climax forests

Light tolerance

• Very shade-tolerant

Associated species

• Sugar maple, yellow birch, eastern hemlock