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Fagus sylvatica ssp. sylvatica

Authority L. Family Magnoliopsida:Hamamelidae:Fagales:Fagaceae Synonyms Common names Editor Ecocrop code 6080

Notes
BRIEF DESCRIPTION A tall deciduous tree reaching 30-40 m in height and up to 1 m in trunk diameter. On good sites it develops a tall clean cylindrical bole. USES The wood works well and has excellent bending qualities. It is a good furniture and cabinet timber, also used for panelling, parquetry and veneers. It is water-resistant and is used in shipbuilding. It also provides a good fuel. Creosote, which is a wood preservative and has medicinal properties, is obtained from the wood. Wood charcoal is used as an absorbent in alkali and phosphorus poisoning. Nuts are fed to livestock and poultry and yields an edible nondrying oil used for culinary purposes or in the manufacture of soaps and for lighting. The plant are often grown as ornamentals and as hedges. KILLING T Winter dormant the tree may tolerate -28°C. The flowers are killed at -1 to -3°C. GROWING PERIOD Perennial. Juvenile growth habit persists for 30-40 years, in closed stands often 40-50 years, and in extreme cases up to 60 years, before flowering begins. Good seed years occur every 3-4 years. Rotation period 110-120 years. COMMON NAMES European beech. FURTHER INF European beech can in Europe be found at elevations from sea level up to 1700 m in the Alps, a little higher in the Pyrenees, and up to 450 m in the Pennines. Maximum altitude corresponds to a midsummer isotherm of about 13°C. Young trees are shade tolerant.
Sources
SOURCES Sims D (pers. comm.) Roecklein J 1987 pp 364 [USE] Duke J 1979 pp 98 [PH, RAIN, TEMP] Helmisaari H 1989 pp 34 Duke J 1975 pp 16 [PH, RAIN, TEMP] Kerr G 1993 pp 11 Moeller C 1977 pp 11-33 [TEMP, RAIN, TEXT, FER, PH, USE] Woodroof J 1979 pp 657-659 [USE]