Fifty Common Trees of New York 



35 



26. BEECH 



(IHagus grandifolia Ehrhart) 

 Beech has perhaps the widest distribution of any forest tree in the 

 State and for that reason, no doubt, is one of the best known. In ther 

 Adirondack^ and Catskills it forms an important part of the hardwood 



BEECH 



Twig, leaf, and fruit, one-half natural size 



forest, but is almost equally common throughout the rest of the State. 

 Though the tree is of large and stately size, the wood is less valuable 

 than that of many of its associates in the woodlot section of the State, 

 with the result that it has been left standing. Because of its heavy 

 shade, it has also excluded more valuable trees. In such conditions, it 

 is, in effect, a "weed" tree. The wood is heavy, hard, strong, tough, and 

 close-grained, and is excellent as fuel wood. It is also used largely in 

 the acid-wood industry and to some extent for furniture. 



Bark — smooth, close, steel gray in color, easily recognized by this 

 character. 



Twigs — slender, zigzag, smooth, shining reddish brown in color be- 

 coming gray on older twigs. 



Winter buds — terminal bud present, slender, % inch long, sharp- 

 pointed, covered with light brown scales ; lateral buds not much smaller 

 than terminal bud. 



Leaves — simple, alternate, from 3 to 4 inches long, coarsely toothed on 

 margin; at maturity very thin, dull green in color above, pale green 

 beneath. 



Fruit — a stalked burr, covered with soft, curving prickles, containing 

 a nut. Burrs — usually in pairs, open up to let the nuts fall in the early 

 autumn, remaining on the tree into the winter. Nut — triangular, pale 

 brown in color, shining, with sweet edible kernel. 



