An impressive long-living British native tree that can grow to 30 metres or more in height. Large, broad and round crowned that can reach the grand old age of 300-400 years.
Beech does particularly well in calcareous soils although mildly acid soils can be tolerated. Generally, chalk, clay, sandy and loam soils from slightly acidic to alkaline.
Sun to shade, reliably hardy tolerates winds.
Monoecious, small inconspicuous catkins appear in May.
Deciduous, oval to ovate dark green appear in April.
Cordate or shallow roots, beech have the greatest root density of all European trees.
Smooth, silver-grey bark.
Widely spreading, compact, branched and very strong roots. On light sandy soils the root system can sometimes be twice the spread of the crown diameter. They are however very sensitive to all kinds of disturbance like excavation, compaction, covering materials or changes in the water table or flooding.
