Tl&EES AND SHRUBS. 399 



389. Beech (Fagus sylvatica), which is so easily dis- 

 tinguished by its smooth grey bark, its ovate leaves, fringed 

 with hairs when young, its long brown tapering buds, and 

 its three-sided nuts in pairs within a four-lobed spiny cup, is 

 one of our largest trees, often over a hundred feet high. 

 It usually has very characteristic ridges or buttresses at the 

 base of the trunk, which run out to the shallow roots. 



The leaves are arranged in 

 two rows, and on horizontal or 

 inclined branches their inser- 

 tion is nearer the lower than 

 the upper side of the branches ; 

 by twisting of the stalks the 

 blades all present their upper 

 faces to the light. The blades 

 vary in shape, but are usually 

 symmetrical and taper above 

 and below. On young trees 

 the dead leaves often remain 

 attached during the winter. Fig. i67. The Beech, with a Fruit. 



Besides the ordinary long 



branches there are dwarf shoots which grow very slowly and 

 bear few leaves each year; inspection of the " girdle- scars " 

 (close-set scars of bud-scales of former end buds) will often 

 show that a dwarf shoot has grown less in length in about 

 twenty years than a long shoot in about a month. The dwarf 

 shoots do not branch, and bear crowded leaf -scars and annual 

 girdle- scars. Sometimes a dwarf shoot grows out, after 

 several years, to form a long shoot, owing to the fall of a branch 

 above it or some other cause which gives it plenty of light. 



Carefully examine a branch of Beech and note how beauti- 

 fully the long and short shoots are arranged and mixed and 

 how the sizes of the leaf -blades are varied, so that the leaves 

 form a close mosaic and catch a large amount of light. Hold 

 the branch against the light, and you will understand one 

 reason why the Beech casts such a dense shade and why so 

 few plants can grow under Beeches ; when growing in a wood 

 the main trunk runs up nearly to the thick crown of the tree, 

 but in the open the stem branches low down into several 

 strong cylindrical trunks, while the leafy " crown " comes 

 nearly to the ground. From these observations you will 



