Beeches are long-lived trees that often thrive for 200 to 300 years or longer.

They grow in many different landscape conditions as long as they have full sun and room to spread out.

Their leaves are usually green and may have toothed edges.

American beech tree with sprawling branches and green leaves below sunlight

The Spruce / Leticia Almeida

Some cultivars have variegated, yellow, or purple leaves.

The bark is a medium gray and the canopy forms a dense oval to rounded crown.

In the fall, the leaves turn a golden bronze color.

American beech tree branches and leaves

The Spruce / Leticia Almeida

The tree is not particularly tolerant of urban conditions though it can do fine in suburban options.

The leaves are oval and dark green, up to 4 inches long.

There are many cultivars available offering many growth forms and different leaf colors.

European beech tree branches and leaves

The Spruce / Leticia Almeida

Like the American beech, the European beech is a fairly trouble-free species that makes an excellent shade tree.

Copper Beech

Copper beech is a popular variety of European beech.

The tree has coppery or purple-colored leaves that turn shades of red and copper in the fall.

Copper beech

Ursula Sander / Getty Images

Tri-Color Beech

Michael Nitzschke / Getty Images

Tri-color beech is another popular cultivar of the European beech.

It features unusual variegated leaves that are pink, white, and green.

This beech is less likely to develop excessive size, making it an excellent shade tree forsmaller yards.

Tri-color beech

Michael Nitzschke / Getty Images

The 4-inch long leaves have prominent parallel veins.

This tree is a good choice for acidic soils, though it will tolerate nearly any soil pH.

It has smooth, silvery-gray bark and a rounded crown.

Japanese beech

Toyofumi Mori / Getty Images

The leaves are oval and glossy medium-green in color.

The foliage turns an attractive shade of yellow in fall.

It is a frequent specimen in bonsai gardening.

oriental beech tree

ginton / Getty Images

The buds are long and slender, and the nuts come in pairs.

The cup-shaped sheath around the nuts is fringed with leaflike appendages.

The strong, heavy wood of the oriental beech is used for many industrial purposes.

Japanese beech tree forest

I love Photo and Apple / Getty Images

The light green leaves of the oriental beech turn pale yellow in autumn, adding to your yard’sfall color.

It is the main tree species in the forests on the Pacific side of Japan.

The vibrant green color of the pointed leaves accentuates the smooth, gray bark.

Beech trees

SEN LI / Getty Images

The leaves are a blue-green color with a more oval than pointed shape.

In the fall, they turn a vibrant bright yellow, making the tree stand out against the landscape.

These sturdy trees are usually multi-stemmed but also grow as single-stemmed trees in their native habitat in China.

Beech trees in Mexico

Matthew Moran / Getty Images

At maturity, its trunks reach over three feet in diameter.

The alternating leaves are simple and pointed.

In the wild, In the wild, Mexican beech is considered to be in danger of extinction.

Taiwan Beech tree

VII-photo / Getty Images

Its purple leaves turn coppery-brown in the fall.

It is considered an endangered beech tree species.

This helps the tree to get established without competing for water.

Yes, a beech tree is a good yard tree if you have plenty of room.

It provides shade as well as shelter and food for wildlife.

With their towering silhouettes, beech trees add character and structure to a landscape.

Depending on the species, the lifespan of a beech tree is 300 to 400 years.

Beech trees older than 175 years are considered ancient.

American Beech: Native American Use.

The Center for Teaching and Learning at the University of Vermont.

USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station.

U.S. Forest Service Research & Development.

University of Massachusetts Extension Landscape, Nursery and Urban Forestry Program.

Current Distribution and Coverage of Mexican Beech Forests Fagus grandifolia subsp.

Microsatellite Primers for the Endangered Beech Tree, Fagus hayatae (Fagaceae).American Journal of Botany.