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| American Beech fruit The husk of the fruit is covered with spines and divided into four lobes. Each fruit contains 2 or 3 seeds. (photo by Don Hunter) |
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| Opened American Beech fruit showing the four husk lobes and two three-sided nuts. The grid lines are 1/4 inch apart. (photo by Dale Hoyt) |
American Beech begins to produce fruit at the age of 40 and hits its stride at age 60. That might seem ancient in human terms, but a tree can live 300 to 400 years.
American Beech has another way of reproducing: root suckering. The shoots that are produced are, of course, genetically identical with the tree that produced them. The tendency to produce these off shoots varies geographically. It is more common in the north and at higher elevations in the Appalachians. Trees growing in lower elevations, coastal plains and in the piedmont tend to produce more seeds and fewer root suckers.
When talking to people of a certain age about Beech trees the subject of Beech-Nut Gum generally comes up: "Was it really made from Beech nuts?" As far as I've been able to determine, Beech-Nut Gum is no longer made. Wikipedia tells us that the company that made the gum started out as a ham- and bacon-producing enterprise in 1891, known as Beech-Nut Packing Company. Perhaps their hogs were fed beech nuts the way some hogs are fed on acorns? It was a common practice, back in the day, to turn hogs loose in the woods to find their own food. That food, called "mast," consisted mostly of acorns and beech nuts. For the old timers and the edification of those who do not remember Beech-Nut Gum, here is a commercial that you might remember. (You may have to wait for a political ad to play before the commercial.) The name seems to be more a brand than a reference to the contents of a product. The internet has pictures of Beech-Nut Baby Food and Beech-Nut peanut butter.
The other context that most people associate with "Beech" is in Budweiser beer: "Beechwood aged." For me, this conjured up row after row of large barrels made from the wood of American Beech trees. Once again, the imagination doesn't match the reality. Consult this website for the full story.
