Beech is a large, native, deciduous tree. The bark is blue gray. The leaves are yellow green during the growing season. The branches are stout and horizontal, or ascending, with interlocking leaves forming a dense crown. The root system is shallow and spreading.
Most seeds drop to the ground.
A few are carried by rodents but dispersal is limited. Beech seeds germinate from early spring to early summer. Chilling is required to break dormancy. Germination is good on mineral soil or leafy litter, but poor on excessively wet sites. Sprouts may develop on the trunk of a tree immediately below a wound and from the top of stumps.