Edit Plant: Fagus grandifolia

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The '''Fagus grandifolia''' also known as '''American Beech''' is a species of [[beech]] native to eastern [[North America]], from [[Nova Scotia]] west to [[Southern Ontario|southern]] [[Ontario]] in southeastern [[Canada]], west to [[Wisconsin]] and south to eastern [[Texas]] and northern [[Florida]] in the [[United States]]. Trees in the southern half of the range are sometimes distinguished as a variety, ''F. grandifolia'' var. ''caroliniana'', but this is not considered distinct in the Flora of North America. A related beech native to the mountains of central [[Mexico]] is sometimes treated as a subspecies of American Beech, but more often as a distinct species, [[Mexican Beech]] ''Fagus mexicana''. It is a [[deciduous]] [[tree]] growing to {{convert|20|-|35|m|abbr=on}} tall, with smooth, silver-gray [[bark]]. The [[leaf|leaves]] are dark green, simple and sparsely-toothed with small teeth, {{convert|6|-|12|cm|abbr=on}} long (rarely {{convert|15|cm}}), with a short [[Petiole (botany)|petiole]]. The winter twigs are distinctive among North American trees, being long and slender ({{convert|15|-|20|mm|abbr=on}} by {{convert|2|-|3|mm|abbr=on}}) with two rows of overlapping scales on the buds. The tree is [[plant sexuality|monoecious]], with flowers of both sexes on the same tree. The [[fruit]] is a small, sharply-angled [[nut (fruit)|nut]], borne in pairs in a soft-spined, four-lobed husk. The American Beech is a shade-tolerant species, favoring shade more than other trees, commonly found in forests in the final stage of [[Ecological_succession|succession]]. Although sometimes found in pure stands, it is more often associated with [[Sugar Maple]] (forming the [[Beech-maple forest|Beech-Maple climax community]]), [[Yellow Birch]], and [[Eastern Hemlock]], typically on moist well drained slopes and rich bottomlands. Near its southern limit, it often shares canopy dominance with [[Magnolia grandiflora|Southern Magnolia]]. {{Inc| Fagus grandifolia, Ehrh. (F. ferruginea, Ait. F. americana, Sweet. F. atropunicca, Sudw.). American Beech. Tree, to 80 ft., rarely 120 ft.: lvs. ovate-oblong, acuminate, coarsely serrate, silky beneath when young, with 9-14 pairs of veins, dark bluish green above, light yellowish green beneath, 2 1/2-5 in. long: involucre covered with slender, straight or recurved prickles, 3/4in. high. E. N. Amer., west to Wis. and Texas. Var. pubescens, Fern. & Rehd. Lvs. soft-pubescent below, sometimes only slightly so. Var. caroliniana Fern. Rehd. (F. ferruginea var. caroliniana, Loud. F. ro-tundifdlia, Raf.). lvs. broader, of firmer texture, darker above: involucre rufous-tomentose, with fewer and shorter prickles: nut smaller, not exceeding the involucre. From N. J. and S. Ill. to Fla. and Texas. {{SCH}} }} ==Cultivation== {{edit-cult}}<!--- Type cultivation info below this line, then delete this entire line --> ===Propagation=== {{edit-prop}}<!--- Type propagation info below this line, then delete this entire line --> ===Pests and diseases=== [[Beech Bark Disease]] has become a major killer of Beeches in the Northeastern United States. ==Species== <!-- This section should be renamed Cultivars if it appears on a page for a species (rather than genus), or perhaps Varieties if there is a mix of cultivars, species, hybrids, etc --> ==Gallery== {{photo-sources}}<!-- remove this line if there are already 3 or more photos in the gallery --> <gallery> Image:07-03AmericanBeechFL.jpg|American Beech, ''Fagus grandifolia'', Gadsden Co., [[Florida]] Image:IN Hoot Woods.jpg|American Beech forest at Hoot Woods, [[Indiana]]; note fall color and silvery trunks Image:Fagus grandifolia.jpg|American Beech trunk Image:Fagus grandifolia CT1.jpg|American Beech in winter, [[Cap Tourmente|Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area]], Quebec Image:Fagus grandifolia CT3.jpg|American Beech sometimes keep its leaves in winter, [[Cap Tourmente|Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area]], Quebec </gallery> ==References== *[[Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture]], by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963 <!--- xxxxx *Flora: The Gardener's Bible, by Sean Hogan. Global Book Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0881925381 --> <!--- xxxxx *American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432 --> <!--- xxxxx *Sunset National Garden Book. Sunset Books, Inc., 1997. ISBN 0376038608 --> ==External links== *{{wplink}} __NOTOC__

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