Fagus grandifolia
species of plant
Fagus grandifolia, the American beech or North American beech, is a species of tree growing to 16–35 meters (52–115 feet) tall. It is one of two beech species native to North America, the other occurring in Mexico. It flourished over most of the continent prior to the last ice age, but is now limited to the east. The tree is shade tolerant and typically found in forests when the site is at its climax.
The nuts are eaten by animals and humans. The leaves and inner bark can be prepared as well.
Description
Fagus grandifolia is a large deciduous tree growing to 16–35 meters (52–115 feet) tall, with smooth, silver-gray bark. The winter twigs are distinctive among North American trees, being long and slender (15–20 mm or 5⁄8–3⁄4 in by 2–3 mm or 3⁄32–1⁄8 in) with two rows of overlapping scales on the buds. Beech buds are distinctly thin and long, resembling cigars; this characteristic makes beech trees relatively easy to identify.
The leaves are dark green, yellow below, simple and sparsely toothed with small teeth that terminate each vein, and 6–12 centimeters (2+1⁄4–4+3⁄4 inches) long (rarely 15 cm or 6 in), with a short petiole.
“Fagus grandifolia” enters the record as species of plant. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Fagus, grandifolia and species can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Fagus grandifolia” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Fagus, grandifolia and species provides the most credible route into that argument.
Datasets, specimens, observations and peer-reviewed methods provide the appropriate test for the technical claims summarized here. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 24, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q149219. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
Scientific names, classifications and consensus can change while older terminology persists in catalogues and historical literature. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “Fagus grandifolia” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.