FAGACEAE 

 Beech. White Beech 



Fagus grandifolia Ehrh. [Fagus atropunicea (Marsh.) Sudw.] 

 [Fagus ferruginea Ait.} [Fagus americana Sweet} 



HABIT. A beautiful tre, rising commonly to a height of 

 50-75 feet, with a trunk diameter of 2-4 feet; in the forest, tall 

 and slender, with short branches forming a narrow crown, in the 

 open with a short, thick trunk and numerous slender, spreading 

 branches, forming a broad, compact, rounded crown. 



LEAVES. Alternate, simple, 3-5 inches long, one-half as 

 broad ; oblong-ovate, acuminate ; coarsely serrate, a vein termin- 

 ating in each tooth ; thin ; dark blue-green above, light yellow- 

 green and very lustrous beneath ; petioles short, hairy. 



FLOWERS. April-May, with the leaves; monoecious; the 

 staminate in globose heads I inch in diameter, on long, slender, 

 hairy peduncles, yellow-green; calyx campanulate, 4-7-lobed, 

 hairy; corolla o; stamens 8-10; the pistillate on short, hairy 

 peduncles in 2-flowered clusters surrounded by numerous awl- 

 shaped, hairy bracts; calyx urn-shaped, 4-5-lobed; corolla o; 

 ovary 3-celled; styles 3. 



FRUIT. Ripens in autumn; a prickly bur borne on stout, 

 hairy peduncles, persistent on the branch after the nuts have 

 fallen ; nuts usually 3, 24 inch long, sharply tetrahedral, brownish ; 

 sweet and edible. 



WINTER-BUDS. Nearly I inch long, very slender, cylin- 

 drical, gradually taper-pointed, brownish, puberulous. 



BARK. Twigs lustrous, olive-green, finally changing 

 through brown to ashy gray; close, smooth, steel-gray on the 

 trunk, often mottled by darker blotches and bands. 



WOOD. Hard, tough, strong, very close-grained, not dur- 

 able, difficult to season, light or dark red, with thin, whitish 

 sapwood. 



DISTRIBUTION. Common in the Lower Peninsula, es- 

 pecially in the northern portions; rare in the Upper Peninsula. 



HABITAT. Prefers deep, rich, well-drained loam, but is 

 found and does well on a great variety of soils. 



NOTES. Hardy throughout its range. Desirable for land- 

 scape work because of its clean trunk and limbs, deep shade, and 

 freedom from insect pests. Often suckers from the roots. 

 93 



