Fagus sylvatica
European Beech

Family:

Fagaceae (Beech Family) 48

Genus:

Fagus (Beech) 11

Plant Type:

Tree 579

Hardiness:

USDA Zone 4 497

Deciduous / Evergreen:

Deciduous 807

Flowers:

Green (Yellowish-green monoecious catkins; not ornamentally important)

Foliage:

Green (Handsome deep green foliage emerges late in the spring); Bronze (Golden-bronze fall foliage that persists into winter)

Fruit:

Brown (Three winged nut is edible)

Ultimate Height:

50-60 feet

Ultimate Spread:

35-45 feet

Light Requirements:

Soil:

Prefers acid soil, some soil moisture and good drainage to perform best; does not tolerate wet and clay soils

Diagnostic Characteristics:

Leaves simple, alternate, 2-4" long, entire, undulate, acute apex, lustrous dark green above and light green beneath, glabrous at maturity, silky when young. Foliage with wavy, entire margins (F. grandifolia has coarsely serrate margins). Petioles can be downy. Buds are long, slender, and pointed with many scales. Fruit is 3-sided nut in prickly husks that ripen in October. Smooth, gray bark that appears wrinkled in some areas, resembling an elephant's hide.

Special Characteristics:

Additional Information

In a proper site, an excellent trouble-free shade tree with year-round interest. More adaptable to hot, dry conditions than our native F. grandifolia, but somewhat less hardy. F. grandifolia is preferred in Zone 4. Like F. grandifolia, this tree is so shallow rooted and casts such heavy shade that grass does not grow well beneath it. Low branching habit is a concern for use in the tree lawn as a street tree (may require more pruning than other street trees).