212 



THAT'S IT ; 



bece, meaning a book ; and it may 

 be that beech is properly the name 

 of bark y which, being used by 

 our ancestors as a material for 

 writing, came to signify a book. 

 Beeches belong to the botanical 

 family fagus, a Latin name from 

 phago, to eat, because the nuts 



were used as food in the early 

 ages. There are several species, 

 some of which are mere bushes ; 

 the most important one known in 

 Europe is the common beech, 1.* 

 The various species are natives 

 of the colder parts of North and 

 South America, Europe, and 

 Australia. 



The leaves, 2, are simple and 



585. 



alternate — that is, they do not 

 proceed from the stem in pairs, 



* Faqui iyleatica 



but singly, and alternately from 

 the opposite sides. The fimit, or 

 nut, 3, is covered with a rough 

 husk, 4, which encloses the seed, 5. 



The male flowers, 6, consist 

 of stalked drooping heads, or 



catkins ; the female flowers, 7, 

 contain the germ of the nut, 3. 



Contrary to the general nature 

 of trees, the beech is most beau- 

 tiful in its juvenile state, as it 

 has not acquired that heaviness 

 which is its most faulty distinc- 

 tion. A light airy young beech, 

 with its spring branches hanging 

 in easy forms, is often beautiful. 

 The trunk of the aged beech is 

 often highly picturesque. It is 

 studded with bold knobs and pro- 

 jections, and has sometimes an 

 irregular fluting about it, which 

 is very characteristic. It has 

 also another peculiarity, which is 

 sometimes pleasing — that of a 

 number of stems arising from the 

 root. The bark, too, often wears 

 a pleasant hue. It is naturally 

 of a dingy olive, but is always 

 overspread in patches with a 



