British Native Trees
and Shrubs

Beech Fagus sylvatica (Fagaceae)

This is the weather the shepherd shuns,
And so do I;
When beeches drip in browns and duns,
And thresh, and ply;…

Weathers
Thomas Hardy

 

With its straight, smooth, silvery-grey trunk and fresh springtime canopy of young, almost translucent, pale-green leaves, this is one of England’s most handsome and easily recognized trees. Growing to a height of 35 m, sometimes more, the deciduous beech has slender, pointed, pale-brown winter buds and the alternate, oval leaves which unfurl in April are up to 9 cm long with short points, wavy margins and five to seven pairs of parallel veins, prominent beneath. The leaves later become deeper green and in autumn they are a blaze of orange, russet and gold. Appearing soon after the leaves, groups of two or three long-stalked, yellow male flowers hang down from the twigs while pairs of greenish female flowers appear as small, more upright catkins close to the stem. The egg-shaped, downy green fruit ripens into a prickly brown husk which splits to release two shiny, triangular ‘beech nuts’ or ‘beech mast’.

Beech is found on chalk and limestone uplands and on slightly acid sandy soils. It is truly native only in southern England, but has been so widely planted that the precise northern limit is difficult to define. Beech can grow up under the shade of any native tree except yew but very few trees will grow in the dense shade cast by beech, so it can become dominant.

As a specimen tree, beech is suitable only for the larger garden as it grows quickly in good soil, but it does made a beautiful hedge and can, if need be, grown for some years in a large tub. It grows in sun or semi-shade and a wide range of free-draining soils, including chalk. In summer beech casts a deep shade beneath which few flowers can survive, though spring flowering species, such as anemones, bluebells and primroses will flourish before the developing canopy finally cuts out nearly all the light. Young beech and trimmed beech hedges keep their brown leaves through winter and the young twigs tolerate regular pruning. Flowers and leaves of young plants can be damaged by severe frosts, but once established, beech is hardy and drought-tolerant. Propagation is by seeds, gathered when they fall and planted in nursery beds protected from mice. After leaving undisturbed for a year, thin out and leave for another year or two before planting in position.

Beechwood is fine-grained and strong, with darker, mid-brown flecks and is highly valued for furniture, wood floors, tool handles, bowls and many other small articles.

Beech nuts are an important winter food for many birds and mammals and the leaves provide food for many caterpillars which mine them, including those of the lobster and least black arches.

Page last updated - January 10, 2002  

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