University of Illinois Home Contact Search
UI Plants Woody Ornamentals
Advanced Search
Select a Plant
ResourcesLinks
 Plant Details
habit
leaves
buds
stems
flowers
fruits
fallcolor
bark
culture

 

 

 


Fagus grandifolia


 

Fagus grandifolia
American beech

Culture: The American beech is best grown on undisturbed sites with acidic well drained soils. It is very sensitive to construction injury and will not tolerate soil compaction or wet sites. Use of heavy equipment over the root zone of existing mature specimens will usually doom the plant to a slow death. It is slow to establish and has a shallow root system making turf culture difficult. The American beech is usually not considered a good candidate for urban sites.

It has a few insect and disease pests but none are serious.

Usage: The American beech is a large tree with limited site adaptability and thus is best used in large sites with minimal traffic. This species makes an excellent specimen or can be very effective in groves where its fall color and smooth silvery silver bark can be appreciated. Avoid placing in highly public areas where vandals might carve into the bark, leaving a lasting disfigurement.

 
All information on this site is copyright protected. Please see our copyright statement.  
©2025  Gary J. Kling, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  Christopher P. Lindsey, hort.net, NCSA
  Mark E. Zampardo, College of Lake County