FAGACEAE - - Beech Family

Fagus grandifolia Ehrhart — American Beech

American Beech (Fagus grandifolia) - American Beech is a beautiful, large tree that can probably be found in most every county in Georgia. It makes a dense shade tree (especially when open grown) and very few plants can grown under a Beech other than, perhaps, Beechdrops (Epifagus virginiana), a parasitic plant which only grows on the roots of the Beech. But, in my experience, it is not planted that often. Yes, this is the tree with the beautiful, smooth, gray bark that people just love to carve their initials, but I would encourage everyone to refrain from this mutilation. Before the early settlers came and "tamed" our great virgin forests the Beech covered vast expanses of Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and central Michigan. These forests played lavish host to the Passenger Pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius), that was once the most abundant bird in North America, and possibly the world. But, the clearing of these mighty forests and the useless slaughter of the birds to feed hogs led to the complete extinction of the species. Luckily, we still have the Beech trees.

Habitat:

Fagus grandifolia Ehrhart var. grandifolia: Moderate to high elevation forests, especially on high elevation ridges, gaps, and open slopes, often forming clonal dwarfed thickets in the most exposed situations. Fagus grandifolia Ehrhart var. caroliniana (Loudon) Fernald & Rehder, White Beech, American Beech. Moist forests, from near sea level to low elevations in the Mountains, mostly below 1050 meters (3500 feet).

Habitat information from:
Weakley, Alan S., Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States, Working Draft of 21 May 2015.

The range of Fagus grandifolia (American Beech)

Kartesz, J.T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2015. North American Plant Atlas. (http://bonap.net/napa). Chapel Hill, N.C. [maps generated from Kartesz, J.T. 2015. Floristic Synthesis of North America, Version 1.0. Biota of North America Program (BONAP). (in press)].

The Georgia range of Fagus grandifolia (American Beech)

Zomlefer, W.B., J.R. Carter, & D.E. Giannasi. 2014 (and ongoing). The Atlas of Georgia Plants. University of Georgia Herbarium (Athens, Georgia) and Valdosta State University Herbarium (Valdosta, Georgia). Available at: http://www.georgiaherbaria.org/.