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The American Beech is a wide-spreading tree that grows to be 40-50 feet tall with a trunk diameter of 2-4 feet. The bark is very smooth, light gray with patches of darker gray, buff, and whitish gray, hence the name "Painted Birch". The leaves are very thin, sharp-pointed oval shaped, and narrow at the base. The veins end at the coarse sharp teeth. They are about 5 inches long, light green above and slightly paler beneath, and smooth except on the underside midrib. The fruit is a tiny bur with soft curved back prickles which open in four sections. The nuts are found two in a bur and are brown, shiny, three-sided and sweet, becoming ripe in September-October. The American Beech can be found from Nova Scotia to Florida and west to Minnesota.
Information about this plant from the USDA Plants Database.
Information from the TreeGuide from Athenic Systems.
This page was last updated 11 Jun 2003.