Short Description
The European beech is a deciduous tree that can grow up to 40 m tall.
The leaflets are oval and pointed. The leaf margin is curly, slightly serrated and covered in fine hairs.
The bark is smooth and silver-grey with a comparatively thin outer layer.
The tree has male and female flowers. The male flowers are yellow-green and are borne in small catkins (flower heads). The female flowers are reddish-green and stand in pairs, upright in hairy heads.
The fruits are known as beech nuts. Until ripe, these triangular nuts are enclosed in a woody spiky cupule. When the fruits are mature, it dehisces.
Features
European beech
Fagus sylvatica
ciliated leaves, particularly at the margins
In the city
The European beech is often planted in parks and gardens as an ornamental tree. The red-leafed variety of this species, the copper or purple beech (Fagus sylvatica f. purpurea) is rather less often found in an urban environment.
Fun Facts
Without human influence, large swathes of central and western Europe would be covered in pure or mixed beech forests.
The German name refers to the reddish-white wood.
The European beech is the most common forest tree in Europe.
Its pollen triggers hay fever and the beech wood dust has been classified as a proven carcinogen.
It flowers from April to May.
The fruit ripening season is from September to October.
- Endangerment level Germany: not endangered
- Usage:
It is an important source of wood (for construction, furniture and household items).
Eating more than 50 beech nuts can cause a stomach upset.
Sources
Blatt, Alice Kracht CC BY, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://offene-naturfuehrer.de/web/Datei:Fagus_sylvatica_%60purpurea_(14).JPG
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männliche Blüte, Liné1, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fagus_sylvatica_purpurea_flowers_01_by_Line1.jpg
Blatt, Alice Kracht CC BY, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://offene-naturfuehrer.de/web/Datei:Fagus_sylvatica3.JPG
Roth, L., Daunderer, M. & Kormann, K. (2008) Giftpflanzen - Pflanzengifte. Vorkommen, Wirkung, Therapie. Allergische und phototoxische Reaktionen, Hamburg: Nikol Verlag.
Page „Rotbuche“. : Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Date of last revision: 07.06.2016, 08:59 UTC. URL: https://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rotbuche&oldid=155062973 (Accessed: 09.06.2016).