The most common deciduous tree in Europe is the common beech. It grows mainly in forests but is also often grown in parks and gardens. Beech trees have some characteristic features that enable them to be clearly identified as trees.

The European beech has green leaves all year round except in autumn and winter

Important characteristics of the red beech

  • Trunk: smooth, hardly scarred, up to 2 meters in diameter
  • Bark: silvery grey
  • Leaves: green, yellow in autumn
  • Leaf shape: ovate, slightly serrated at the edge
  • Height fully grown: up to 40 meters
  • Crown shape: round, pronounced, regular
  • Buds: brown, about 2 centimeters long
  • flowers: inconspicuous, monoecious

European beeches, which stand in the middle of the forest, have a very smooth trunk, with the crown only attaching at a height of several metres.

If the beech stands alone in the park or garden, there are also branches on the lower trunk. Free-standing trees protect the trunk from excessive sunlight and wind with the leafy side branches.

Why does a red beech have green leaves?

Despite their name, beech trees have green leaves. The name beech comes from the reddish wood.

There are also beeches with red leaves. This is then a blood beech. Their leaves contain a lot of red pigment, which overshadows the proportion of green pigments. This beech species is a mutation.

In autumn, the leaves of copper beech and copper beech turn a bright orange-red. In contrast to other deciduous trees, the leaves of the common beech often remain on the tree until the following year.

Red beeches are a sought-after timber

Beech wood is used for many purposes:

  • furniture making
  • instrument making
  • charcoal
  • smoking wood
  • firewood

Beech wood contains little moisture, so it can also be burned in the fireplace without any problems.

The fruits of the red beech are slightly poisonous

The fruits of the common beech are called beechnuts. They contain the toxins fagin and oxalic acid, which are toxic to both humans and horses.

In times of need, however, beechnuts were also eaten. If the fruits are roasted or otherwise heated, the toxins break down so that the beechnuts no longer cause symptoms of poisoning.

tips

Hornbeams look very similar to red beeches. They can be recognized by the fact that they are much smaller in nature. The shape of the leaves and the trunk also differ from the common beech.

Category:

Trees