Fagus

Also known as the beech genus

Beech (genus Fagus) is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to subtropical (accessory forest element) and temperate (as dominant element of mesophytic forests) Eurasia and North America. There are 14 accepted species in two distinct subgenera, Englerianae and Fagus. The subgenus Englerianae is found only in East Asia, distinctive for its low branches, often made up of several major trunks with yellowish bark. The better known species of subgenus Fagus are native to Europe, western and eastern Asia and eastern North America.

OverviewAI-generated

Fagus is a genus of plants within the family Fagaceae. It belongs to the kingdom Plantae, phylum Tracheophyta, class Magnoliopsida, and order Fagales. The scientific name is Fagus L. Common names include chestnut.

The genus has been introduced to Ireland. Specimens are held by institutions including UCMP, USNM, FMNH, and IBUNAM. Records exist in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Scientific literature references the genus, with 2,773 other encyclopedia articles citing it. There are 2,074 PubMed entries and 1,635,025 occurrence records. iDigBio contains 616 records and 329 media items.

Synthesized by Vinony from 26 facts across 7 sources: Wikidata, GBIF, PubMed, Gbif Occ, Plants of the World, iDigBio, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Species

Fagus

GENUS

KingdomPlantae
PhylumTracheophyta
ClassMagnoliopsida
OrderFagales
FamilyFagaceae

Native toAlabama, Albania, Arkansas, Austria, Baltic States, Belgium, Bulgaria, China North-Central, China South-Central, China Southeast, Connecticut, Corse

Observations recorded1,635,025

Common Name: chestnut

via GBIF · Kew POWO

Museum specimens

Specimen records: 616
With media: 329
Family: Fagaceae
Collections: UCMP, USNM, FMNH, IBUNAM
Recorded in: United States, Canada, Mexico

iDigBio →

Research

2,074 papers

Anatomical growth response of Fagus sylvatica L. to landslide movements.The Science of the total environment · 2023Šilhán K, Balek J, Hartvich F et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161554
Development of polymorphic microsatellite markers for Fagus pashanica (Fagaceae) using next-generation sequencing.Genes & genetic systems · 2023Zhu BR, Zhang XY, Yang XX et al.DOI: 10.1266/ggs.23-00160
Both abundant and rare fungi colonizing Fagus sylvatica ectomycorrhizal root-tips shape associated bacterial communities.Communications biology · 2022Dietrich M, Montesinos-Navarro A, Gabriel R et al.DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-04178-y
Tip-to-base conduit widening remains consistent across cambial age and climates in Fagus sylvatica L.Tree physiology · 2024Rita A, Pericolo O, Tumajer J et al.DOI: 10.1093/treephys/tpae080
Mast seeding in European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) is associated with reduced fungal sporocarp production and community diversity.Ecology letters · 2024Michaud TJ, Pearse IS, Kauserud H et al.DOI: 10.1111/ele.14460
Identification of a cyanidin-3-O-β-galactoside in gall tissue induced by midges on Japanese beech (Fagus crenata Blume).Bioscience, biotechnology, and biochemistry · 2020Miyazaki S, Kurisu H, Nakata M et al.DOI: 10.1080/09168451.2019.1698941
Fagus sylvatica seedlings show provenance differentiation rather than adaptation to soil in a transplant experiment.BMC ecology · 2018Manzanedo RD, Schanz FR, Fischer M et al.DOI: 10.1186/s12898-018-0197-5
Synopsis of the CASIROZ case study: carbon sink strength of Fagus sylvatica L. in a changing environment--experimental risk assessment of mitigation by chronic ozone impact.ReviewPlant biology (Stuttgart, Germany) · 2007Matyssek R, Bahnweg G, Ceulemans R et al.DOI: 10.1055/s-2007-964883

via PubMed

~18 min read

Encyclopedic overview

19 sections

Contents

Description
Evolution
Evolutionary history
Phylogeny
Taxonomy
Species
Natural and potential hybrids
Etymology
Ecology
Habitat and distribution
Pests and diseases
Uses
Furniture and construction
Ornamental tree
Food and food preparation
Other
See also
References
External links

The European beech Fagus sylvatica is the most commonly cultivated species, with several ornamental varieties, and forest trees yielding a timber used for furniture, flooring and construction, plywood, and household items. The timber can be used to build homes. Beechwood makes excellent firewood. Slats of washed beech wood are spread around the bottom of fermentation tanks for some beers. Beech logs are burned to dry the malt used in some German smoked beers. Beech is also used to smoke Westphalian ham, andouille sausage, and some cheeses.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Fagus” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.