Bring the Outdoors Home

Common Beech | Plant Profile

Common Beech or European Beech (Fagus sylvatica) are dense deciduous trees with an oval shape. Branches start low creating a fuller look than the American Beech. Features of the Common Beech include smooth gray bark and dark green leaves. The leaves turn golden or bronze in fall. Yellow-green flowers bloom in spring and give way to edible nuts.

Common Beech prefers deep, fertile, well drained soils in full sun to part shade. These ornamental trees are tolerant of a wider range of soils than the American Beech, but root rot is common in poorly drained soils.

The large size of Common Beech makes it an ideal shade tree for large landscapes or parks..

Description

Common Beech Characteristics

Common Beech are beautiful full-bodied ornamental trees that are popular in the Pittsburgh area. They are distinguished by the smooth grey bark and dark green toothless leaves. Edible beechnuts ripen in the fall after the flowers are spent. The nuts are encased in a spiny shell.

There are a few disease and pest issues that are common with Common Beech, but few are life-threatening. Beech scale, Japanese beetles, and caterpillars are all occasional visitors. Borer tend to attack trees that are already distressed. Beech bark disease, canker, and powdery mildew may occur.

It is not recommended to transplant an established Common Beech as the root system is too deep to easily remove.

USDA Climate Zone
Zones 4 - 7
Height
50.00 - 60.00
Spread
35.00 - 50.00'
Bloom Time
April - May
Water
Medium
Sun
Full Sun - Part Shade
Maintenance
Low
Deer Resistant?
Yes