Fagus grandifolia is a species of beech tree native to the eastern United States and Canada. The Latin name translates to beech (Fagus) and large leaf (grandis folium). The lifespan of the American Beech is typically up to 200 years. Their buds are slender and sharply pointed. The flowers on the tree are monoecious which means that it has flowers of both sexes on the same tree. The fruit is a small, edible, sharp nut that comes in pairs in a soft husk. It reproduces through dispersal of seeds and also through root sprouts. Many people used to look for beeches when scouting for fertile soil so crops could be grown. Threats to beech trees in the northeast are cryptococcus, the wooly beech scale, that attacks the bark of the tree and infects it with a fungus and phytophtora, a fungus that causes bleeding cankers. Cutting initials and a heart in the bark of the beech tree may cause the fungus to invade the tree and may kill the tree.The wood of the beech is used in flooring, containers, furniture, and wooden-ware.