Kentucky Plant Atlas




Taxonomic distinction unclear    No county information
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Fagaceae Fagus grandifolia var. grandifolia
Fagus grandifolia Erhart var. grandifolia
ALI: no HAB: n/a, n/a, n/a, n/a ABU: n/a, n/a, 0
W has mapped var. grandifolia in Appalachian Ky, but clearly verified colls. are unknown. There is a coll. by T.H. Kearney #181 from HARL (NCU) that has bee annotated as "ssp. grandifolia" by Camp (1950) in 1953; this coll. should be studied further. The fruits (cupules) of var. grandifolia differ in their longer prickles (3-10 mm versus 1-4 mm) that project forward (versus more or less recurved), with valves that are narrowly triangular, apically acute (versus obtuse) and grayish yellow (versus reddish). Leaves are sharply serrate (versus denticulate) and not clearly cordate (versus sometimes so); lower surfaces have yellowish glandular hairs (versus lacking) and usually lack white acicular hairs (versus usually present). Trees often sucker from roots at considerable distance from main stems; such behavior is unknown in var. caroliniana.