Beech

Beech

Beech (genus Fagus) is a group of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae. These trees grow naturally in parts of Eurasia and North America. There are 14 recognized species.

The European beech [Fagus sylvatica] (/w/5) is widely grown for its beauty. Its wood is strong and useful for making furniture, floors, and building homes. Beechwood also burns well and is often used as firewood. Beech wood helps make some special foods and drinks. For example, washed beech wood slabs line tanks where beer ferments. Beech logs help dry the malt used in certain German smoked beers. Beech wood adds a smoky flavor to foods like Westphalian ham, andouille sausage, and some cheeses.

Description

Beech trees are special because they have both male and female flowers on the same plant. The female flowers grow in pairs. The male flowers help with pollination by wind. After flowering, the tree makes a nut with three sides. This nut grows inside a spiky shell. Beech trees have smooth bark and leaves with a central vein and smaller veins running parallel to it. Like many trees, beeches lose their leaves in the autumn.

Evolution

See also: List of fossil beech species

Beech trees have been around for millions of years. Fossils of these trees have been found from the time of the dinosaurs to the ice ages. The beech tree is part of a family that also includes oaks and chestnuts. The oldest beech fossils are about 81 to 82 million years old and were found in Wyoming, United States.

Today, there are 14 kinds of beech trees in two groups. One group, found only in East Asia, has trees with low branches and yellow bark. The other group has tall trees with smooth, silver-gray bark, found in parts of Asia, North America, and Europe. These trees have special genetic differences that help scientists learn about their history.

Ecology

Beech trees grow best in deep, well-drained soil that is neutral or a little acidic, with a pH between 6 and 7.5. They have shallow roots, so dry weather can hurt them. Beech trees do not grow where it is too wet, but they can survive in windy places, in the shade of other trees, and in cold weather. In northern Europe, beech trees grow in low areas, while farther south they grow in mountains, reaching heights of up to 1,800 metres (5,900 ft).

One famous area for beech trees is the English Lowlands beech forests in southeastern England, including the New Forest. Beech trees arrived in Britain after the last ice age and might have been planted by ancient people for their edible nuts. In North America, beech trees often grow together with sugar maple trees in a balanced forest.

Uses

Beech trees, especially the European beech Fagus sylvatica, give us strong wood. We use it to make furniture like chairs and desks, and to build homes and flooring.

People also grow beech trees for their looks. Some special kinds, like the weeping beech and the copper beech, have unique shapes. In Scotland, there is a very long beech hedge.

We can eat the nuts from beech trees, called beech mast. In the past, they were an important food for people in trouble. Beech wood helps make coffee substitutes, is used for smoking foods, and even in brewing beer. Long ago, beech bark was used for writing, and beech wood made early books, drums, and firewood.