Fagus grandiflora, Ehr.

Form.—Height, 50-100 feet, diameter, 2-3 feet; trunk often long under forest conditions, in the open short; crown narrow or rounded.

Leaves.—Alternate, simple, oblong-ovate, acute, coarsely serrate, 3-5 inches long; dark blue green above, light green and very lustrous beneath, petioles short and hairy.

Flowers.—April-May; monoecious, staminate flowers in loose, light green globose heads, about 1 inch in diameter and hanging on long, slender peduncles; the pistillate small, 2-flowered, protected by awl-shaped bracts, and with long red stigmas.

Fruit.—A prickly bur, bearing 2 or 3 triangular brown nuts about ¾ inch long.

Bark.—On the trunk smooth, close, light gray and mottled with darker spots.

Wood.—Hard, strong, close-grained, not durable, light red, with yellowish-white sapwood.

Range.—Southern Canada and Wisconsin, south to Florida and Texas.

Distribution in West Virginia.—Common in nearly all parts of the State; less frequent or rare locally in the Eastern Panhandle and in Summers, Mercer, McDowell, and Wyoming counties.

Habitat.—Prefers rich bottom lands but grows frequently on thin gravelly slopes and flats, sometimes growing at high elevations.

Notes.—This is one of the most familiar of our trees, except in a few restricted areas. It is shade-loving, and is a valuable tree in the farmers’ woodland. The wood is used principally for novelty wares, carpenters’ tool handles, clothespins, fuel and charcoal.