Common Name: European beech
Type: Tree
Family: Fagaceae
Zone: 4 to 7
Height: 40.00 to 60.00 feet
Spread: 30.00 to 50.00 feet
Bloom Time: April to May
Bloom Description: Yellowish green
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low
Suggested Use: Shade Tree
Flower: Insignificant
Leaf: Colorful, Good Fall
Fruit: Showy, Edible
Tolerate: Deer
Culture
Best grown in deep, rich, moist but well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Intolerant of wet, poorly drained soils. Difficult to transplant and does not always grow well in urban settings. Reportedly tolerates a wider range of soils than American beech.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Fagus sylvatica, commonly called European beech, is a large deciduous tree typically growing to 50-60’ (less frequently to 100’) tall with a dense, upright-oval to rounded-spreading crown. It is native to woodlands in central and southern Europe. European colonists brought this tree to America in the mid-1700s and it has been a popular ornamental shade tree since that time. European beech is primarily distinguished from the similar American beech (Fagus grandifolia) by (a) smaller size, (b) darker gray bark, and (c) shorter leaves that have wavy mostly untoothed margins. It is a low-branched tree, with its trunk ranging from 2-3’ (less frequently 4’) in diameter. Trunks have distinctive bark that is thin, smooth and gray. Ovate to elliptic, lustrous dark green leaves (to 4” long) have wavy mostly toothless margins and prominent parallel veins. Foliage turns golden bronze in fall. Monoecious yellowish green flowers bloom in April-May, the male flowers in drooping, long-stemmed, globular clusters and the female flowers in short spikes. Female flowers give way to triangular nuts enclosed by spiny bracts. Beechnuts ripen in fall and are edible. Many cultivars are available in commerce in a variety of different forms, leaf shapes and leaf colors.
Genus name comes from the Latin name.
Specific epithet means growing in woods or forest-loving.
‘Rohanii’ is a purple-leaved form that reportedly is the result of an 1894 cross between F. sylvatica ‘Purpurea Latifolia’ and F. sylvatica ‘Quercifolia’. It is a sturdy, pyramidal tree with upright branching that typically grows to 40-60’ tall or more. Oak-like leaves with shallow rounded teeth and wavy margins emerge bronze-purple in spring, mature to greenish purple-brown in summer and turn orange-brown in fall. Smooth gray bark is attractive year round. Cultivar name is in reference to the discovery of this tree at the estate of Prince Camille de Rohan of Bohemia in 1888.
Problems
No serious insect or disease problems. Beech scale is an occasional problem. Watch for aphids, Japanese beetles and caterpillars. Distressed trees may be attacked by borers. Beech bark disease, canker and powdery mildew may occur.
Uses
Ornamental fern-leaved specimen. Excellent shade tree.