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beech --  Britannica Online Encyclopedia
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beech

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Photograph:European beech (Fagus sylvatica)
European beech (Fagus sylvatica)
Eric G. Carle—Shostal/EB Inc.

any of several different types of trees, especially about 10 species of deciduous ornamental and timber trees constituting the genus Fagus in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate and subtropical regions of the Northern Hemisphere. About 40 species of superficially similar trees, known as false beech (Nothofagus), are native to cooler regions of…


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More from Britannica on "beech"...
258 Encyclopædia Britannica articles, from the full 32 volume encyclopedia
>beech
any of several different types of trees, especially about 10 species of deciduous ornamental and timber trees constituting the genus Fagus in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate and subtropical regions of the Northern Hemisphere. About 40 species of superficially similar trees, known as false beech (Nothofagus), are native to cooler regions of the Southern ...
>Subantarctic beech forests
   from the South America article
Temperate rain forests—similar to those found in British Columbia and in the northwestern United States—grow in southern Chile at low and moderate altitudes, thanks to abundant rainfall. The most typical trees belong to the genus Nothofagus (timber trees found in the cooler parts of the Southern Hemisphere), the northern species of which are evergreen and the southern ...
>Fagales
beech order of dicotyledonous woody flowering plants, a division of the subclass Hamamelidae.
>Subantarctic region
   from the biogeographic region article
Southern Chile, Patagonia, and New Zealand comprise the Subantarctic region (). It has a distinctive forest flora, of which Nothofagus (southern beech) is perhaps the most characteristic element.
>Plant and animal life
   from the Serbia article
The vegetation of Serbia forms a transition between central European and Mediterranean types. Before Austrian agricultural colonization began in the 18th century, the dry Vojvodina plains were a grassland steppe. However, it is evident that forests at one time dominated the region. Only about 5 percent of the area is now covered by trees, mostly in the higher parts of the ...

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90 Student Encyclopedia Britannica articles, specially written for elementary and high school students
Beech
important timber tree of genus Fagus of family Fagaceae native to Europe and eastern North America; wood used for flooring, furniture, woodenware, handles, cooperage, railway ties, and building timber; only wood used in filtering process of vinegar manufacture; distilled to make finest creosote for medicinal purposes; American beech (F. grandifolia) grows from Louisiana ...
Plants and Animals
   from the Hungary article
The natural vegetation of Hungary can be divided into three groups. The Great Alföld was once a grassland with scattered trees, but now most of the trees have vanished. In some areas acacias, oaks, and beeches are found along with brushwood. The main vegetation consists of varieties of grass. In the Transdanubian Mountains beech forests occur. The most densely forested ...
Plants and Animals
   from the Serbia article
Oak and beech are the predominant species of trees in Serbia. In the central region, large areas that were formerly wooded have been cleared and put to cultivation. Evergreens such as pine and fir grow in the mountains, where trees cover two-fifths or more of the territory. Serbia has a wide range of animals, including deer, foxes, wolves, wild pigs, and bears. Birds ...
Divining rod
a forked twig of hazel, holly, beech, or other tree, or forked rod of metal held in the hand of dowsers, or water finders, as users of divining rods are called; the rod twists in the hand as the dowser crosses underground water or mineral; despite frequent uncanny success of dowsers, their art has been looked upon as fraud; some scientists have explained it as motor ...
Plant and Animal Life
   from the Bulgaria article
About one third of the country is covered by forest, much of it beech and oak. Coniferous trees, such as pine, fir, and spruce, grow mainly on the slopes of the Rhodope and Rila mountains. The lowland areas had a mixed vegetation of trees and grass but are now cleared for farming. There are about 20 soil types and subtypes. The soils of the Danube lowlands and the ...

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