Fagus grandifolia (American Beech, Beech, Beechnut Tree, Red Beech, Ridge Beech, White Beech) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox

The American beech is native to eastern North America and found throughout the state of North Carolina. It is a sturdy, imposing, large deciduous tree typically growing to 60 to 80 feet tall or more with a dense, upright-oval to a rounded-spreading crown and smooth bark that remains smooth as the tree ages. It is a low-branched tree with its mature trunk ranging from 2 to 3 feet  in diameter. This tree is slightly salt tolerant.

It can be a beautiful tree in a large area, but is not recommended for smaller landscapes. American beech prefers moist, well-drained, acid soil, is intolerant of wet or compacted soil, prefers sun but will tolerate shade. It grows best in moist mountain coves and is often found scattered with oaks and hickories in rich, well-drained bottom land. In the mountains, it is sometimes found in dense, unmixed stands or in association with sugar maples, yellow birch, and other hardwoods. It can be difficult to grow other plants or lawn underneath a standing American beech. Beech develops suckers from its vast system of surface roots and entire beech groves have often grown from the roots of a single tree. Fall color is golden bronze and leaves often last into winter.

Insects, Diseases, or Other Plant Problems:  

Beech scale is an occasional problem on this tree. Beech blight aphids are common, forming dense colonies on small branches and the undersides of leaves. The aphids are food for the Harvester butterfly (Feniseca tarquinius), North Carolina’s only carnivorous butterfly.

VIDEO Created by Elizabeth Meyer for “Trees, Shrubs and Conifers” a plant identification course offered in partnership with Longwood Gardens.

More information on Fagus.