{"id":23705,"date":"2021-04-13T15:36:02","date_gmt":"2021-04-13T14:36:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/?p=23705"},"modified":"2026-01-21T14:26:38","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T14:26:38","slug":"beech-tree","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/2021\/04\/13\/beech-tree\/","title":{"rendered":"Beech Tree (Fagus sylvatica) Identification"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1><strong>Beech Tree \/ Spring \/ Summer \/ Autumn \/ Edible<\/strong><\/h1>\n<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-23705 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-medium'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/2021\/04\/13\/beech-tree\/beech-bud-e1551638118726-jpg\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Beech-Bud-e1551638118726-200x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-4398\" srcset=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Beech-Bud-e1551638118726-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Beech-Bud-e1551638118726-100x150.jpg 100w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Beech-Bud-e1551638118726.jpg 667w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-4398'>\n\t\t\t\tLeaf buds\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/2021\/04\/13\/beech-tree\/beach-nut-and-leaf-1-1-min\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/beach-nut-and-leaf-1-1-min-300x225.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/beach-nut-and-leaf-1-1-min-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/beach-nut-and-leaf-1-1-min-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/beach-nut-and-leaf-1-1-min-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/beach-nut-and-leaf-1-1-min-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/beach-nut-and-leaf-1-1-min-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/beach-nut-and-leaf-1-1-min-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/beach-nut-and-leaf-1-1-min-900x675.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/2021\/04\/13\/beech-tree\/beech-shot-pof-young-leaves-min\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Beech-shot-pof-young-leaves-min-300x225.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Beech-shot-pof-young-leaves-min-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Beech-shot-pof-young-leaves-min-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Beech-shot-pof-young-leaves-min.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/2021\/04\/13\/beech-tree\/beech-shot-of-the-trunk-min\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Beech-shot-of-the-trunk-min-300x225.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Beech-shot-of-the-trunk-min-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Beech-shot-of-the-trunk-min-150x112.jpg 150w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Beech-shot-of-the-trunk-min.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/2021\/04\/13\/beech-tree\/beech-shot-of-masts-and-leaves-min\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Beech-shot-of-masts-and-leaves-min-225x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Beech-shot-of-masts-and-leaves-min-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Beech-shot-of-masts-and-leaves-min-113x150.jpg 113w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Beech-shot-of-masts-and-leaves-min.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/2021\/04\/13\/beech-tree\/20250130_131820\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/20250130_131820-225x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/20250130_131820-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/20250130_131820-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/20250130_131820-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/20250130_131820-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/20250130_131820-113x150.jpg 113w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/20250130_131820-900x1200.jpg 900w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/20250130_131820-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<hr \/>\n<p>Through this guide we&#8217;re going to take a look at how to Identify The Beech Tree.<\/p>\n<p>As I walk through the dense woodland, my senses come alive with the earthy aroma of fallen leaves and the delicate rustling of branches above. Amongst the myriad of trees that surround me, one species stands out with its unique characteristics and unmistakable beauty: the Beech tree.<\/p>\n<p>We might think that learning about trees and tree identification is a bit of a waste of time, but the Beech tree is definitely one to get the hang of as it has some exciting uses:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Lots of wild Fungi like growing with Beech Trees<\/li>\n<li>You can make a delightful Beech Leaf Gin<\/li>\n<li>You can eat Beech Nuts<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>So let&#8217;s grab our baskets and head out looking for those Beech trees.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><b>Common Names<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Common Beech, European Beech<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><b>Botanical Name\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fagus sylvatica<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><b>Scientific Classification<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Kingdom<\/strong>: Plantae<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Order<\/strong>: Fagales<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Family<\/strong>: Fagaceae<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><b>Physical Characteristics for Beech<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Beech Tree is a large tree, growing up to 40 metres tall.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Leaves<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The leaves are lime green, with wavy edges and a border of tiny soft hairs. They are around 5-10 cm long, grow in alternate pairs and are simple.\u00a0 It is slow to lose its leaves, quite often holding them until the following spring.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-117190\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Beech-shot-pof-young-leaves-min-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Beech-shot-pof-young-leaves-min-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Beech-shot-pof-young-leaves-min-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Beech-shot-pof-young-leaves-min.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/b><\/h2>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><b>Fruit and nuts<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you look around the base of the tree you may see many empty masts from previous years. The masts are egg shaped and bristly and open to reveal 1-3 triangular nuts. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The quantity of nuts varies massively from year to year. The nuts or masts appear in Autumn.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-117192\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Beech-shot-of-masts-and-leaves-min-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Beech-shot-of-masts-and-leaves-min-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Beech-shot-of-masts-and-leaves-min-113x150.jpg 113w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Beech-shot-of-masts-and-leaves-min.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/b><\/h2>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><b>Bark<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They have smooth silver\/grey bark. as it is smooth and easy to carve into, it often attracts graffiti!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-117191\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Beech-shot-of-the-trunk-min-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Beech-shot-of-the-trunk-min-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Beech-shot-of-the-trunk-min-150x112.jpg 150w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Beech-shot-of-the-trunk-min.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><b>Habitat<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They prefer well drained, slightly acidic soils. Very common throughout the UK. It is the dominant tree in the woodlands of Southern and Central England.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><b>Known Hazards<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is some evidence to suggest that Beech shouldn&#8217;t be eaten in large quantities as they are toxic to some people.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><b>Could be confused with<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Large leaved lime (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/2021\/04\/13\/identify-common-lime\/\">Tilia<\/a> platyphyllos) <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">perhaps, but the leaves of this tree are\u00a0 more heart-shaped and are also edible.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><b>Edible Uses<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The young, fresh leaves can be nibbled raw or added to salads.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The leaves are also used to make Noyau, a delicious alcoholic beverage.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The nuts or masts were commonly fed to livestock and when roasted make a good coffee substitute, they can also be eaten raw, simply peel off the outer shell.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They can also be pressed to make oil.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><b>Notes on Herbal uses<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The tree was thought to have medicinal properties and its leaves were boiled to make a poultice which was used to relieve swellings.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><b>Extra notes from the Foragers<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Beech is associated with femininity and is often considered the queen of British trees, where oak is the king.\u00a0 \u00a0Forked beech twigs are also traditionally used for divining.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thegoddesstree.com\/trees\/Beech.htm\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Learn more about the folklore here<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><strong data-start=\"393\" data-end=\"458\">You\u2019ve met the tree \u2014 now let\u2019s see if you can recognise it.<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Click on the image below and try our quiz to check your understanding of the key ID features.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/academy.totallywilduk.co.uk\/quizzes\/template-tree-quiz\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-117192\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Beech-shot-of-masts-and-leaves-min-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Beech-shot-of-masts-and-leaves-min-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Beech-shot-of-masts-and-leaves-min-113x150.jpg 113w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Beech-shot-of-masts-and-leaves-min.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Beech Tree \/ Spring \/ Summer \/ Autumn \/ Edible Through this guide we&#8217;re going to take a look at how to Identify The Beech Tree. As I walk through the dense woodland, my senses come alive with the earthy aroma of fallen leaves and the delicate rustling of branches&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":117192,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[101,1778,1780,86,1776,1777,1779],"tags":[239,241,1695,1831,152,660,104,238],"class_list":["post-23705","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-plant-identification","category-autumn","category-edible","category-plants","category-spring","category-summer","category-winter","tag-autumn","tag-beech","tag-beech-nut","tag-beech-tree","tag-edible","tag-fagus-sylvatica","tag-spring","tag-summer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23705","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23705"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23705\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":142039,"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23705\/revisions\/142039"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/117192"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23705"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23705"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23705"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}