Common beech
Find out more about the common beech tree below.
common beech
Scientific name: Fagus sylvatica
Family: Fagaceae
What3Words location: wool.pretty.dark
Origin: native
Maximum height: 40 metres
Lives for: up to 250 years, or up to 400 years if managed as a pollard
The queen of British trees (oak being the king), beech trees are often associated with femininity. They support rare plant species such as coralroot bittercress and the red helleborine orchid, as well as fungi including the bearded tooth fungus. Beech seeds, known as masts, are eaten by animals such as deer, badgers, squirrels, mice and birds.