Fagus sylvatica
European Beech

 Plant Type:
 Growth Forms:
 Hardiness:
 Deciduous / Evergreen:
 Flower Notes:
Green (Yellowish-green monoecious catkins; not ornamentally important)
 Foliage Notes:
Green (Handsome deep green foliage emerges late in the spring); Bronze (Golden-bronze fall foliage that persists into winter)
 Fruit Notes:
Brown (Three winged nut is edible)
 Ultimate Height:
50-60 feet
 Ultimate Spread:
35-45 feet
 Soil Notes:
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.

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).

6 Fagus sylvatica found

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= Heritage plant = Memorial plant
Number Accession ID Location
12015_00165*APWF
Heritage Plant
2ORIG_2658*AHEAV
32015_00164*APWF
Heritage Plant
4ORIG_2656*AHEAV
5ORIG_6561*AHANS
62024_00145*AHARR

Other plants like this Fagus sylvatica (European Beech)

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