378 Fagaceae Fagus 



62. FAGACEAE Drude. The Beech Family 



Winter buds long and slender, at least 4 times as long as wide; staminate flowers in 



globose heads on drooping peduncles; nuts sharply 3-angled. .1890. Fagus, p. 378. 



Winter buds not long and slender and less than 4 times as long as wide; staminate 



flowers in slender catkins; nuts not as above. 



Staminate catkins erect or spreading; nut flattened on one or two sides and enclosed 



in a prickly husk 1891. Castanea, p. 378. 



Staminate catkins drooping; nuts not flattened, seated in a scaly, woody cup 



1893. Quercus, p. 379. 



1890. FAGUS [Tourn.J L. Beech 



1. Fagus grandifolia Ehrh. American Beech. Map 778. Found in 

 every county of the state except probably Benton, Jasper, and Newton 

 Counties. It is a frequent to common tree throughout the lake and Tipton 

 Till Plain areas on the ridges and hills unless these are sandy or a hard 

 clay when they will be covered more or less with black and white oaks 

 and hickories. In the unglaciated area it is also frequent to common but 

 is usually found in the coves or on low hills. The higher hills with their 

 poorer soil are usually covered with oaks and hickories. In the "flats" 

 of the Illinoian drift it is found in low, flat woods where it is the 

 principal species, associated with sweet gum, black gum, red maple, and 

 oaks. Its most constant associate in the northern and central part of the 

 state is the sugar maple. 



N. S., s. Ont. to Wis., southw. to the Gulf States and Tex. 



la. Fagus grandifolia Ehrh. f. pubescens Fern. & Rehd. This is a 

 form with the entire under surface of the leaves more or less pubescent. 

 It is to be noted that the leaves of none of our specimens are entirely 

 glabrous beneath but generally have the principal veins covered with long 

 hairs. This form is found throughout Indiana with the species. 



The bark of the beech is usually smooth but sometimes a tree is found 

 that has the bark of the lower part of the trunk broken into ridges and 

 furrows. Usually the ridges are not continuous but in sections of a few 

 inches in length. 



1891. CASTANEA [Tourn.] Hill. Chestnut 



1. Castanea dentata (Marsh.) Borkh. American Chestnut. Map 

 779. The chestnut is restricted to the part of the state indicated on the 

 map. It is found usually on sandstone outcrops and is usually local. In 

 1936 it was reported from Ripley County by Dorothy Parker. On account 

 of its excellent qualities for shingles, posts, and poles, the large trees have 

 all been cut. It is especially valuable for its timber and nuts, but its use 

 as a forest tree will be curtailed because the chestnut blight has already 

 appeared in a few places in Indiana. 



Maine, s. Ont., and Mich., southw. to Del., and in the mts. to Ala. 

 and Ark. 



