Fairly common large tree of rich bottomland forests. The smooth bark, sharply toothed thin leaves with straight veins, and long sharply-pointed buds make this tree very easy to identify. In the Piedmont of North Carolina we have var. caroliniana, with leaves that are white-fuzzy beneath; var. grandifolia occurs at mid-high elevations in the mountains.

The nuts, which ripen in fall, are borne in small spine-covered woody husks. Durham Co., NC 6/8/03.

Beech Blight Aphids (Grylloprociphilus imbricator) are fairly common, forming dense colonies on small branches and the undersides of leaves. These are the host for caterpillars of the Harvester (Feniseca tarquinius), our only carnivorous butterfly.

The distinctive pale gray bark is very smooth. It is often covered with many species of lichens.

Orange Co., NC 10/15/06.

It remains nearly perfectly smooth even on very large trees, except when carved by humans.