Fagus sylvatica is a graceful, slow-growing, large tree for shade or specimen usage. European Beech has many cultivars available for growth habit and foliage variation.
|
F E A T U R E S |
| |
Form
-large deciduous tree
-maturing at 60' tall x 40' wide
-upright oval growth habit for the species and many cultivars
-slow growth rate |
Foliage
-medium to dark green and short-petioled
-ovate to elliptical, entire or somewhat crenate along the margins, usually with an undulating margin
-autumn color yellowish green, golden, or yellow-brown |
Flowers
-separate male and female flowers on
the same tree (monoecious), flowering in late Apr. and early May
-flowers are relatively insignificant and partially obscured by the expanding foliage |
Fruit
-three-sided nuts, from 1-3 nuts per fruit, exposed as the bristly husk splits open in Sept. and Oct.
-readily devoured by squirrels and larger birds |
Twig
-somewhat thin stems, olive to brown, with prominently long, pointed, tan winter buds
-twigs often lie more or less within the plane of the branch, for a layered branching habit |
|
Trunk
-very thin and smooth, medium gray, and quite ornamental in winter |
|
C U L T
U R E
|
| |
Culture
-full sun to partial shade
-performs best in deep, moist, well-drained, slightly acid soils
-propagated by grafting or seeds
-Beech Family, with no disease or pest problems of significance, but does not respond well to urban stresses
-many cultivars are allowed to branch to just above the ground
-abundant availability in B&B form, including many cultivars |
Hardiness
-zones 5 to 7
Origin
-native to Europe
|
|
U S A G E |
| |
Assets
-dense shade at maturity
-branching nearly to the ground
-graceful or architecturally interesting branching, depending upon cultivar
-smooth medium-gray bark
-several foliage and growth habit variants
-nuts attract wildlife in autumn
Liabilities
-slow growth
-awkwardly and sparsely branched in
youth
-not urban tolerant
-surface roots with age |
Function
-specimen, focal point, or wildlife attraction tree
Texture
-medium to fine texture in foliage and fine-textured when bare
-thick density in foliage and when bare (except in youth, when the branching is sparse and quite open)
|
|
S E L
E C T I 0 N S |
| |
Varieties
and Cultivars
- Search
OSU PlantFacts for additional plants in this species
Alternates
-large shade or specimen trees with alternative broadleaf foliage colors (Acer platanoides 'Crimson King', 'Crimson Sentry', 'Drummondi', etc., Liriodendron tulipifera 'Aureomarginatum'; other species of trees exist with this trait, but they are often weak-growing) |