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{{SPlantbox
| name = ''Fagus''
|familia=Fagaceae
| common_names = Beech
|genus=Fagus
| growth_habit = [[deciduous]] [[tree]]
|common_name=Beech
|habit=tree
|lifespan=perennial
|features=deciduous
|Temp Metric=°F
| lifespan = <!--- perennial, annual, etc -->
|jumpin=If this plant info box on watering; zones; height; etc. is mostly empty you can click on the edit tab and fill in the blanks!
|image=Vivo d'orcia 014.jpg
|image_width=200
| features = <!--- flowers, fragrance, fruit, naturalizes, invasive -->
|image_caption=Fagus sylvatica
| hardiness = <!--- frost sensitive, hardy, 5°C (40°F), etc -->
| bloom = <!--- seasons which the plant blooms, if it is grown for its flowers -->
| image = EuroBeech.jpg
| image_width = 240px <!--- leave as 240px if horizontal orientation photo, or change to 180px if vertical -->
| image_caption = European Beech leaves and cupules
}}
}}
'''Beech''' (''Fagus'') is a genus of ten [[species]] of [[deciduous]] [[tree]]s in the family [[Fagaceae]], native to temperate [[Europe]], [[Asia]] and [[North America]].
==Habit==
The [[leaf|leaves]] of beech trees are entire or sparsely toothed, from 5–15 cm long and 4–10 cm broad. The [[flower]]s are small single-sex ([[monoecious]]), the female flowers borne in pairs, the male flowers wind-pollinated [[catkin]]s, produced in spring shortly after the new leaves appear. The bark is smooth and light gray. The [[fruit]] is a small, sharply three–angled [[nut (fruit)|nut]] 10–15 mm long, borne singly or in pairs in soft-spined husks 1.5–2.5 cm long, known as cupules. The nuts are edible, though bitter (though not nearly as bitter as [[acorn]]s) with a high [[tannin]] content, and are called beechmast. Most beeches have green leaves, but some are red, the ''fagus silvatica''.
Beech grows on a wide range of soil types, acid or basic, provided they are not waterlogged.
The tree canopy casts dense shade, and carpets the ground with dense leaf litter, and the ground flora beneath may be sparse.
In North America, they often form [[Beech-maple forest|Beech-Maple]] [[climax community|climax]] forests by partnering with the [[Sugar Maple]]
The '''southern beeches''' ''[[Nothofagus]]'' previously thought closely related to beeches, are now treated as members of a separate family, Nothofagaceae. They are found in [[Australia]], [[New Zealand]], [[New Guinea]], [[New Caledonia]], [[Argentina]] and [[Chile]] (principally [[Patagonia]] and [[Tierra del Fuego]]).
{{Inc|
{{Inc|
Fagus (ancient Latin name). Fagaceae. Beech. Ornamental trees, chiefly grown for their handsome foliage, good habit and the conspicuous color of the bark; also valuable timber trees. There are marked horticultural forms.
Fagus (ancient Latin name). Fagaceae. Beech. Ornamental trees, chiefly grown for their handsome foliage, good habit and the conspicuous color of the bark; also valuable timber trees. There are marked horticultural forms.
===Pests and diseases===
===Pests and diseases===
The [[beech blight aphid]] (''Grylloprociphilus imbricator'') is a common pest of beech trees.
The [[beech blight aphid]] (''Grylloprociphilus imbricator'') is a common pest of beech trees.
''[[Fagus orientalis]]'' - Oriental Beech<br/>
''[[Fagus orientalis]]'' - Oriental Beech<br/>
''[[Fagus sylvatica]]'' - European Beech<br/>
''[[Fagus sylvatica]]'' - European Beech<br/>
The beech most commonly grown as an ornamental tree is the [[European Beech]] (''Fagus sylvatica''), widely cultivated in North America as well as its native Europe. Many varieties are in cultivation, notably the weeping beech ''F. sylvatica'' 'Pendula', several varieties of Copper or purple beech, the fern-leaved beech ''F. sylvatica'' 'Asplenifolia', and the tricolour beech ''F. sylvatica'' 'roseomarginata'. The strikingly columnar Dawyck beech (''F. sylvatica'' 'Dawyck') occurs in green, gold and purple forms, named after Dawyck Garden in the Scottish Borders, one of the four garden sites of the [[Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh]].
==Gallery==
==Gallery==
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