Common Name: Beech

General Information

Fagus sylvatica is a deciduous tree with a large, dense crown; it can grow 30 - 50 metres tall[].
The tree is harvested from the wild as a food and source of materials.

Known Hazards

The seeds of the various species of beech are generaly edible and wholesome. However, they do contain a saponic glycoside and, if eaten in quantity (especially if eaten raw), they can cause stomach upsets[, , ].

Botanical References

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Range

Europe - from Norway south and to Spain, east to European Russia, Transcaucasia, Greece and Turkey

Habitat

Grows in woodlands where it is often the dominant species, especially on chalky and soft limestone soils, though sometimes also on well-drained loams and sands[, ].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	30.00 m
Growth Rate	Medium
Pollinators	Wind
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Fagus sylvatica is a very cold-hardy tree, tolerating temperatures down to around -25°c when dormant[, ].
Thrives on a light or medium soil, doing well on chalk, but ill-adapted for a heavy wet soil[, ]. Prefers a calcareous soil but succeeds in acid soils though it does not make such a fine tree in such a situation[]. Succeeds in almost any soil and any pH, it is also very tolerant of a wide range of climatic conditions so long as there is sufficient rainfall[]. Established trees are drought tolerant[]. Very wind tolerant but dislikes salt[]. Trees are shallow rooted and this might make them less wind resistant[].
Trees have two growth periods a year, each of about 3 weeks in duration. The first is in spring around the end of April, the second is in summer, around the end of July.
Trees are often slow growing and also can be very slow to establish after transplanting. However, in good conditions they are capable of growing up to a metre in a year.
Young trees are very shade tolerant, but are subject to frost damage to their flowers and young leaves and so are best grown in a woodland position which will protect them[].
Large yields of seed are not obtainable annually but rather in 5 - 10 -year cycles[].
An important food plant for many caterpillars, it has 64 species of associated insects[].
Trees have a heavy canopy and cast a dense shade, very few other species can grow in a dense beech wood and on suitable soils it becomes the dominant species[].
Very intolerant of coppicing, trees producing none or only very weak growth afterwards and this is soon smothered by other plants[]. Plants are very tolerant of light pruning however and if this is carried out in late summer the plants will retain their dead leaves over winter[].
There are many named forms selected for their ornamental value. Those forms with purple leaves prefer a position in full sun whilst forms with yellow leaves prefer some shade[].
This species is notably resistant to honey fungus[].

Edible Uses

Young leaves - raw[]. A very nice mild flavour, they go well in a mixed salad. However, the leaves quickly become tough so only the youngest should be used[, , , ]. New growth is usually produced for 2 periods of 3 weeks each year, one in spring and one in mid-summer.

Seed - raw or cooked[, , , , ]. A pleasant sweet flavour, though rather small and fiddly[]. The seed can also be dried and ground into a powder and then used with cereal flours when making bread, cakes etc[]. The seed is rich in oil. The seed should not be eaten in large quantities because it contains a deleterious principle[, ].

The seed contains 17 - 20% of an edible semi-drying oil[, , , ]. This stores well without going rancid and is said to be equal in delicacy to olive oil[]. It is used as a dressing for salads and also for cooking[]. The seed residue is poisonous[, ].

The roasted seed is used as a coffee substitute[, ].

Medicinal

The bark is antacid, antipyretic, antiseptic, antitussive, expectorant, odontalgic[, ].

A tar (or creosote), obtained by dry distillation of the branches, is stimulating and antiseptic[]. It is used internally as a stimulating expectorant and externally as an application to various skin diseases[, ]. The pure creosote has been used to give relief from toothache, but it should not be used without expert guidance[].

The plant is used in Bach flower remedies - the keywords for prescribing it are 'Intolerance', 'Criticism' and 'Passing judgements'[].

Agroforestry Uses:

Beech trees generally have surface-feeding roots and also cast a dense shade - this greatly inhibits the growth of other plants and, especially where a number of the trees are growing together, the ground beneath them is often almost devoid of vegetation[, ].
Young plants respond well to trimming and can be grown as a hedge where they can be kept quite small and narrow[]. If any trimming is carried out in late summer the plants will usually retain their dead leaves over winter[].

Other Uses

A semi-drying oil is obtained from the seed by pressing, it is used as a fuel for lighting, as a lubricant, for polishing wood etc[, , , , ]. The seed residue is poisonous[, ].

The leaf buds harvested in the winter and dried on the twigs are used as toothpicks[].

The leaves are gathered in autumn and used as a stuffing material for mattresses etc[].

The wood has a high caloric value[]. It has often been used as a source of creosote, tar, methyl alcohol. Acetic acid[].

The heartwood is a very pale pink-brown in colour; it is not demarcated from the sapwood. The grain is straight, the texture fine and even. The wood is hard, heavy, strong. Not very durable without treatment and tends to be attacked by the furniture beetle. It has medium density and bending strength; medium stiffness and resistance to shock loads; high crushing strength; high shear strength; steam bending classification is exceptionally good. It tends to dry fairly rapidly, tending to warp, check, split and shrink; when dry there is a large movment in service. It has medium resistance to hand and power tools, with a moderate blunting effect and a tendency to burn during drilling. It has very good turning properties. Takes nails well, but requires pre-drilling; holds screws well; glues easily; stains well and takes an excellent finish. The wood has a wide range of applications, including bent (so-called Viennese) cabinet work, high class joinery, furniture, flooring, turnery, oars, shoe lasts, small articles for domestic use, spoons, trays, etc. It is also employed in boat construction (keels) and carriage construction (wheel spokes, etc.). Beech staves are made into containers for oil[, , , , ]
The wood makes a very good fuel[, ], burning well with a lot of heat[], and yielding an excellent charcoal known as 'Carbo Ligni Pulveratus'[].

Propagation

Seed - the seed has a short viability and is best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a cold frame. Protect the seed from mice. Germination takes place in the spring. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. The seedlings are slow growing for the first few years and are very susceptible to damage by late frosts.
The seed can also be sown in an outdoor seedbed in the autumn[]. The seedlings can be left in the open ground for three years before transplanting, but do best if put into their final positions as soon as possible and given some protection from spring frosts.