American Beech

American Beech

American Beech Fagus grandifolia grows in mixed woodlands with trees such as maple, birch and hemlock. It has a smooth silvery-grey bark which sometimes shows the scars left by bear claws. The black bear likes to eat beech nuts and will climb the tree to get at the fruits. The beech leaf is a long pointed oval shape with straight veins from the midrib each ending in a tooth on the margin. Golden leaves may persist on the tree into the winter. Early settlers in North America used these dried leaves to stuff mattresses. [CH] {NT}