Fagus orientalis
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Fagus orientalis, commonly known as the Oriental beech, is a deciduous tree in the beech family Fagaceae. It is native to Eurasia, in Eastern Europe and Western Asia.
DescriptionEdit
Fagus orientalis is a large tree, capable of reaching heights of up to Template:Convert tall and Template:Convert trunk diameter, though more typically Template:Convert tall and up to Template:Convert trunk diameter.
The leaves are alternate, simple, and entire or with a slightly crenate margin, Template:Convert long and Template:Convert broad, with 7–13 veins on each side of the leaf (6–7 veins in F. sylvatica). The buds are long and slender, Template:Convert long and Template:Convert thick, but thicker, till Template:Convert, where the buds include flower buds.
The flowers are small catkins which appear shortly after the leaves in spring.
The seeds are small triangular nuts Template:Convert long and Template:Convert wide at the base; there are two nuts in each cupule, maturing in the autumn 5–6 months after pollination. The cupule differs from that of European beech (Fagus sylvatica) in having flattened, slightly leaf-like appendages at the base (which are slender, soft spines in European beech).
TaxonomyEdit
Fagus orientalis is closely related to Fagus sylvatica (the European beech), and hybridises with it in the Balkans and northwestern Turkey. These hybrids with European Beech are named Fagus × taurica Popl. [Fagus moesiaca (Domin, Maly) Czecz.].
Distribution and habitatEdit
The tree's natural range extends from southeastern Bulgaria's Strandja mountain range and Greece through northwest Turkey, and east to the Caucasus Mountains in Georgia and Russia, as well as the Alborz Mountains in Iran.
UseEdit
The wood of Fagus orientalis is heavy, hard, strong and highly resistant to shock. These features makes it suitable for steam bending. The wood is also a source to fuelwood and can be used for constructions particleboard, furniture, flooring veneer, mining poles, railway tiles and paper.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
See alsoEdit
- Caucasus mixed forests ecoregion — key species in the ecoregion
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
- Oriental beech on Floridata
- Fagus orientalis, Plants for a Future
- Fagus orientalis - distribution map, genetic conservation units and related resources. European Forest Genetic Resources Programme (EUFORGEN)