Beech is found in East Texas to the Trinity River on the bottomland of streams and the margins of swamps. It is one of the most beautiful of all trees, in summer or winter.
The [simple], [alternate], oblong-ovate LEAVES are 3 to 4 inches long, pointed at the tip, and coarsely toothed and hairy along the margin. When mature, they are almost leathery in texture. The beech produces a dense shade. The light brown winter buds are long, slender, and pointed.
AMERICAN BEECH ([Fruit], leaves, and twig, one-half natural size)
The [BARK] is, perhaps, the most distinctive characteristic, as it maintains an unbroken, light gray surface throughout its life.
The little, brown, three-sided [FRUITS] or beechnuts are almost as well known as chestnuts. The [nuts] are in pairs in a prickly [involucre]. The kernel is sweet and edible. The fallen fruit, known as mast, is a favorite food of wildlife.
The WOOD of the beech is hard, strong, and tough, though it will not last long on exposure to weather or in the soil. The tree is of economic importance as a lumber tree, the wood being used for furniture, flooring, carpenters’ tools, and novelty wares.
ALLEGHENY CHINKAPIN
Castanea pumila Mill.
Chinkapins may grow as trees or form shrubby thickets; consequently their identification is at times confusing.
Some taxonomists credit East Texas with one species and a variety. Others list four species. Further study is needed.