Leaf guide › Birches & beeches
American beech
Fagus grandifolia
Golden bronze leaves, with young trees holding pale tan leaves all winter.
Updated
- Fall color
- YellowBronze
- Turns
- Mid to late
- Leaves
- Alternate (one per spot)
- Size
- 2.5–5 in. long
- Found in
- New England & New York, Great Lakes & North Woods, Appalachians, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest
How to recognize it
- Oval leaf with straight, evenly spaced side veins.
- Each vein ends in a small tooth at the edge.
- Thin, papery texture.
- Smooth, elephant-gray bark.
Easy to confuse with
American hornbeam
Smaller leaf with double teeth, and a trunk that looks like flexed muscle.
American chestnut
Much longer leaf with bristle-tipped teeth.
Worth knowing
Beech leaf disease, first found in Ohio in 2012, causes dark bands between the veins and is spreading across the Northeast. If you see striped beech leaves, local forestry agencies want to know.
Common questions
What color does american beech turn in fall?
American beech turns yellow and bronze in fall. Golden bronze leaves, with young trees holding pale tan leaves all winter.
When does american beech change color?
It colors from the middle to the later part of the local season.
How can you tell american beech from american hornbeam?
American hornbeam: Smaller leaf with double teeth, and a trunk that looks like flexed muscle. American beech: Oval leaf with straight, evenly spaced side veins.
Where does american beech grow?
In the lower 48, look for it in New England & New York, Great Lakes & North Woods, Appalachians, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest.
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