Native to Eastern and Central Europe, particularly Great Britain.
Nuts are edible, but consumption in very large quantities may cause low-severity poison symptoms including an upset stomach.
Very large deciduous tree capable of reaching over 150 feet tall with a trunk of over 9 feet wide.
Simple, alternate oval-shaped leaves are 3-6" long and wide, are somewhat glossy, and will have either very small, fine teeth or shallow rounded ridges.
Resistant to most major issues including drought and fire, but are somewhat susceptible to aphids, japanese beetles and borers as well as canker, beach bark disease and powdery mildew.
Requires full sun and well-drained soil to grow. Thrives in most soil textures and acidities.
Hardiness zones 4-7
Sentimental and Symbolic Value
In Celtic lore, the beech was called the "Queen of the Mother of the Woods", a tree with a spirit of protecting and nurturing which was said to protect travelers. Its bark and leaves were also carried as talismans to bring good luck and creativity.
Beech wood was the most commonly-used writing tablet in ancient Western and Northern Europe, and as such it gained a reputation of being associated with wisdom and knowledge. In modern culture, this association persists through the beech being a common symbol of schools and universities; some more common examples include Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts and Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia.
It is commonly used in powders, flour alternatives and oils, as well as having a wide variety of medicinal uses.
Specimen photographed at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Part of the Ornamental Woody Plants assignment (11/10/2021).
Plant History and Etymology
The generic name Fagus is an ancient word deriving from from Proto-Italic *fāgos, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂ǵos (“beech tree”). The specific epithet comes from the Latin silva (“woods, forest”) and the suffix -āticus. The ancient roots of the name hint at the beech's longstanding importance to humans, as it is estimated to have been used as a source of food since at least 4000 BC. It is considered native predominately to southern England and eastern Wales, but it was most likely introduced to this area by Paleolithic humans from elsewhere, and later brought to containental Europe. F. sylvatica's timber is tough but dimensionally unstable, being used mainly for furniture framing, flooring and other uses where dimensional rigidity is less important. Other uses of it throughout history include food, writing tables (in fact, the word for "book" in many European languages derives from "beech") and pigments. It began to be grown as an ornamental as well, and it exploded in popularity in colonial America. There is some concern today about it beginning to outcompete the native F. grandifolia.
Design Considerations
The beech is a hardy, attractive and popular tree commonly used in woodland plantings and as a specimen in gardens and lawns. Its massive crown creates ample shade for the summer months, but it does not tolerate very high temperatures. The flowers, which bloom in April and May, are small and insgnificant, coming in yellow and green. The fall colors range from gold to copper, but various cultivars exist such as F. sylvatica 'Riversii' and 'Purpurea' which make them various shades of purple and red. The cultivar 'Aspenifolia' is a unique one which gives the leaves a compound, fern-like appearance rather than the standard shape. The bark is smooth and gray, giving the tree winter interes t even after the leaves fall off.
Sources
“Fagus Sylvatica (Common Beech, European Beech) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox.” 2021. Ncsu.edu. 2021. https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/fagus-sylvatica/.
“Fagus Sylvatica Beech, European Beech, Common Beech PFAF Plant Database.” 2021. Pfaf.org. 2021. https://pfaf.org/user/plant.aspx?LatinName=Fagus+sylvatica.
Wikipedia Contributors. 2021. “Fagus Sylvatica.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. June 29, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fagus_sylvatica.
Huw, Nia. 2018. “Beech | Cambrian Wildwood.” Cambrianwildwood.org. November 13, 2018. https://www.cambrianwildwood.org/species/beech/#:~:text=The%20ancient%20wisdom%20associated%20with,the%20modern%20English%20’book’.