Beech ordinary (Fagus sylvatica)
Appearance: Usually stately, large tree up to approx 30 meters. The crown is slender in younger specimens, in the elderly – quite wide and domed, often wonderfully developed, especially in free-standing trees. The trunk is clearly visible at least up to the middle of the crown, further divides into mighty boughs. Branches and larger branches, usually steeply upright, slightly hanging at the ends.
Smooth bark, lead gray. it becomes a bit rough with age, however, it is never cracked or flaky, and at most it is slightly wavy or scratched. Brown-purple shoots, smooth, naked, with diffuse traceries, often bent, a bit shiny. Very slim and narrow donuts, tightened, with numerous scales, they are far from the axis.
Torsion leaves, and the length 5-10 cm are oblong-elliptical or ovate, widest in the middle or front, wedge-shaped at the base, slightly wavy and long at the edges, whitish hairs. Tail short, hairy. In autumn, they take on beautiful red-brown colors, giving color to forests. Male flowers gathered in bunches. Female flowers surrounded by a four-flap cover. Bukwie, or peanuts, have to 2 cm in length, they are triangular, shiny and brown. Habitat: An important forest-forming species, occurring on well-hydrated people, fertile soils, in the areas, where summers can be cool. It also grows well in sandy and calcareous soils, at different heights.
Occurrence: Common in Western and Central Europe, except for the south-eastern regions.
Flowering period April to May General remarks: Today, beech is the deciduous tree most adapted to the prevailing natural conditions in the western part of Central Europe. So if not for human interference and local "disturbances” natural, most of the forests there would be beech forests,
In the spring, there are seedlings everywhere on the forest floor, whose large semicircular cotyledons contain large amounts of fatty oil (look at it). Beechnuts sprout only then, when covered with litter – they are therefore seeds that germinate in the dark. Various animals participate in the spread of European beech, especially squirrels and jays, which pick fruits in the fall, they hide them in theirs ,,warehouses” and they often forget about them, which allows them to grow. A related species: In south-eastern Europe, Central European beech is replaced by eastern beech (Beech), which is distinguished by a distinctly furrowed bark. The leaves are on average slightly longer and opposite ovate. In this species, male flowers also have an inconspicuous perianth, It is rarely planted in large parks in collections.