# Common Beech

## Fagus sylvatica L.

NATURE | deciduous tree
LEAF | singular leaf
| Leaf edge: whole to undulate
Leaf shape: oval
Nervation: feather-veined
FRUIT | nut
INFLORESCENCE | in amentums

Medical value: All parts of the beech besides the nuts are poisonous
Use: The fruit is eaten by a variety of wild species (squirrels, boar and woodpeckers). It is a very good fodder. This fruit can also be pressed into beech-oil that was used for margarine during the two World Wars. The wood is heavy and quite hard. It is often used in carpentry and joinery (parquet floors, chairs, stairs…) as well as for spoons and toys. At one time it was used in coalmines. Common Beech is often implanted as hedgerow.

Legend:

Bloom. All months in which we can find blooming specimens. Regional differences may occur.
Harvest Time. All months in which we can find ripe fruits on trees. Unripe fruit can be found earlier on trees and shrubs. Sometimes even throughout the year, as happens with trees such as pines, this fruit ripens over several years.
Both flowers and ripe fruit may occur at the same time in some months.