Beeches are deciduous trees with long, scaly buds. Leaves are alternate with toothed to nearly entire leaf margins. Stipule scars are long and narrow. Stipules nearly meet around the stem. Flowers are monoecious. Fruit is a nut in a prickly bur.
Fagus grandiflora – American Beech
Fagus sylvatica – European Beech
American Beech – Fagus grandifolia (americana)
The American beech is native throughout the state. However, it makes its best growth in northeastern Ohio where is it conspicuously associated with the sugar maple. It is found widely scattered with oaks and hickories on rich, well-drained bottoms and glacial soils of southwestern and western Ohio. It is one of the most beautiful of all Ohio trees.
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| American Beech |
Leaves are sharply and coarsely toothed with four to 14 pairs of veins per leaf. Leaves are 21/2—41/4 inches (6—11 cm) long and pointed at the tip. Leaves are coarsely toothed along the margin. Mature leaves are almost leathery in texture. Foliage color is dark bluish-green above and light green below. Fall color is golden yellow to russet.
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| European Beech |
The winter buds are long, slender, pointed, and usually greater than 1/2 inch (13 mm) long. Stipule scars are long, narrow, and nearly encircle the stem. The bark is perhaps the most distinctive characteristic, as it maintains an unbroken, light gray surface throughout its life. So tempting is this smooth expanse to the owner of a jackknife that the beech has been well-designated the "initial tree," but this permanently disfigures the tree.
The flowers are monoecious and open in April or May. The small, brown, three-sided beech nuts are almost as well know as chestnuts. They usually form in pairs in a prickly bur. The kernel is sweet and edible but so small as to offer insufficient reward for the pains of biting open the thin shelled husk. The American beech flowers and fruits every several years and is a major source of food for wildlife during the mast years when the tree produces a good crop of seeds.
The wood of the beech is very hard and strong, although it will not last long on exposure to weather or in the soil. The tree is of economic importance. The wood is used for furniture, flooring, carpenters' tools, novelty wares, and rough framing lumber.
European Beech – Fagus sylvatica
The European beech is similar in appearance to our own native American beech, but the bark is less showy.
Greater tolerance of soil compaction characterizes the European beech. The European beech is preferred for landscape use because of its greater tolerance of human activity. Many named forms are available. European beech is slow to establish but grows rapidly once established.
Terminal buds are slightly smaller than the American beech but are still long and pointed. Terminal buds are less than 1/2 inch (13 mm) long. Stipule scars are long and narrow, and they nearly encircle the stem. Bark is a darker gray than the American beech and not as smooth or as attractive. The trunk supports stout, rugged branches with an upright tendency.
Leaves have wavy margins and are only minutely toothed. Leaves have five to nine pairs of veins and are 2—4 inches (5—10 cm) long. Foliage color is glossy, dark green above and light green beneath. Fall color is golden yellow to russet for the green-foliaged forms. Fall color is purple to brown for the purple-foliaged forms.
Several cultivars with purple summer-leaf color are planted for ornamental purposes. The leaves range in color from deep purplish-brown to a rich, bronze, metallic color. The cultivar F. sylvatica ‘Riversii' is the one commonly planted for foliage color effect and is shown in the photograph above. A weeping type, F. sylvatica ‘Pendula,' has dark green leaves and irregular branching, supporting a drooping or pendant top. The weeping type also occurs in a purple-leafed cultivar as well. A cut-leafed form is also available and is one of the most attractive selections.