Fagus sylvatica

COMMON NAME: European beech

FAMILY: Fagaceae

GROWTH HABIT: Usually 50 - 60 ft in height with a spread of 35 - 45 feet. Can reach 100 ft in height.

FOLIAGE: Alternate leaves, simple, 2 -4 inches long, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches wide, ovate or elliptic. Lustrous dark green above, light green beneath. 5 - 9 vein pairs.

BUDS: Slender, 3/4 to 1 inch long, brown, apex sharp-pointed.

BARK: Smooth, gray, usually darker than the American Beech; developing an elephant hide appearance on old trunks.

FLOWERS: Male and females flowers separate on the same tree; male in round heads, female in 2- to 4-flowered spikes. usually flowers in April to early May.

FRUIT: Nut, solitary or 2 to 3, partly or wholly enclosed by a prickly 4-parted involucre; nut is edible.