Fagus grandifolia

The American Beech is a beautiful tree, pretty hard to find in nurseries, even though it is a relatively abundant tree in the southern Quebec forests. This tree lives a long time. Recently, researchers have discovered that this tree would be the late-successional tree in Quebec. So it lives longer than the Sugar Maple and would be the last tree standing in a very old forest...

Although it almost never makes part of the Quebec landscape design, the American Beech is a tree with a very high ornamental value. This latter is mainly due to its smooth gray bark that is reminiscent of a concrete column... It also has a dense and dark green foliage. Its leaves, even dry, persist on the tree all winter long.

On open area, it will tend to form a large crown with a short bole. In the forest, it's quite the opposite ; its bole will be very long and straight.

This tree is very tolerant to shade. It also tolerates pollution, so it can grow well in the city. By cons, it does not appreciate compacted soils and de-icing salts at all. Therefore, avoid planting it nearby the streets and passageways.

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cm ↕︎ : plant height
multicell. : wrapped root ball plug from a propagation tray
pot 1 gal. : wrapped root ball from a one gallon container