Fagus grandifolia this is not considered distinct in the Flora of North America. The Mexican beech ("Fagus mexicana"), native to the mountains of central Mexico, is closely related, and is sometimes treated as a subspecies of American beech, but more often as a distinct species. The only "Fagus" species found in the Western Hemisphere (assuming "F. mexicana" is treated as a subspecies), "F. grandifolia" is believed to have spanned the width of the North American continent all the way to the Pacific coast before the last ice age. It is a deciduous tree growing to tall, with smooth, silver-gray bark. The leaves
Nyssa sylvatica a large deep taproot when young that makes transplanting difficult. Because of this, it is fairly uncommon in cultivation and the nursery trade. Additional characteristics include: "Nyssa sylvatica" grows in various uplands and in alluvial stream bottoms from southwestern Maine and New York, to extreme southern Ontario, central Michigan, Illinois, and central Missouri, south to southern Florida, eastern Texas, and eastern Oklahoma. It also occurs locally in central and southern Mexico. Optimum development is made on lower slopes and terraces in the Southeastern United States. "Nyssa sylvatica" is found in a variety of upland and wetland habitats in its extensive