The American beech is an edible, perennial, deciduous tree in the beech family (Fagaceae). This tree is native to eastern North America and found throughout the state of North Carolina. The species epithet, grandifolia , refers to the large leaves of the beech, which are larger than those of the European beech. Growing to 60 to 80 feet tall or more and spreading 40 to 80 feet wide, American beech prefers moist, well-drained, acid soil; is intolerant of wet or compacted soil; and prefers sun but will tolerate shade. It is slightly salt tolerant and resistant to deer. Propagate by seed. Beech trees develop suckers from their vast system of surface roots, and entire beech groves have often grown from the roots of a single tree. This beech is a low-branched tree and has a light gray bark that remains smooth as the tree ages. Fall leaf color is golden bronze, and leaves often last into winter. This tree has a showy brown or copper fruit containing a triangular nut that ripens in the fall. American beech can be a beautiful tree in a large area and is not recommended for smaller landscapes. Site it in a naturalized, riparian or woodland area. An excellent shade tree, it can also be used as a border, near a street or for screening and as a wind break. It is suitable for a native garden or one for the blind. Numerous mammal and bird species eat the nuts, which are also edible by humans. Insects, Diseases and Other Plant Problems : Beech scale is an occasional problem on this tree. Beech blight aphids are common, forming dense colonies on small branches and the undersides of leaves. The aphids are food for the Harvester butterfly ( Feniseca tarquinius ), North Carolina's only carnivorous butterfly. VIDEO Created by Elizabeth Meyer for "Trees, Shrubs and Conifers," a plant identification course developed in partnership with Longwood Gardens. More information on Fagus .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day) | Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
Available space
6-feet-12 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 60 ft. 0 in. - 80 ft. 0 in. | Width: 40 ft. 0 in. - 80 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Slow
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
1 - Canopy (>40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Dense; Erect; Oval; Pyramidal; Rounded
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Brown/Copper; Gold/Yellow; Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Elliptical; Oblong; Ovate
Leaf margin
Serrate
Leaf feel
Glossy
Leaf value
Showy
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
Simple, alternate, ovate-oblong leaves, 2 to 5 inch long, half as wide, acuminate tip, coarsely serrate. Grouped toward the ends of branches or short branchlets. Leaves are dark green and glossy above, lighter green below, sometimes tomentose along the midrib and in vein axils on underside. Parallel veins pierce the margin; little bristles on the margin.
Fall color
Brown/Copper; Gold/Yellow
Flower color
Green; White
Flower form
Insignificant
Flower detail
Monoecious yellowish green flowers bloom from March to May on the American beech. It's male flowers form in drooping, long-stemmed, globular clusters and the female flowers in short spikes. Female flowers give way to triangular nuts enclosed by spiny bracts. Beechnuts ripen in fall and are edible.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Brown/Copper
Fruit type
Capsule; Nut
Fruit value
Showy
Fruit detail
Prickly brownish fruit; seeds trigonous. Nuts are irregularly triangular, shiny brown and edible. Attached in groups of 2 or 3, prickly husks that remain on the tree after the nut has fallen, 3/4 of an inch long. September to October.
Bark color
Light Gray
Bark detail
Trunks have distinctive thin, smooth, gray bark.
Stem color
Gray/Silver
Stem detail
Somewhat zig-zag, grayish, shiny. Awl-shaped, imbricate, 3/4-1" long and slender, shiny, pointy.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Eastern Canada to Central Mexico
Distribution
Maine to Florida, west to Texas, Oklahoma, Illinois, Michigan, and Minnesota.
Wildlife value
The nuts are eaten by small mammals, white-tailed deer, black bears, foxes, ruffed grouse, wild turkeys, ducks, woodpeckers, white-breasted nuthatches, American crows and blue jays.
Nutmeats, in small quantities, edible raw or cooked.
Uses (ethnobotany)
An excellent shade tree. This tree was used by Native Americans for building materials, medicine, and food. Wood is hard, strong, and tough though it will rot when exposed to weather or soil. The wood is used for flooring, tools, containers, and has a high fuel value.