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Pignut tubers
Species

Common Beech / Fagus sylvatica

11th May 2018

Alternative names: European Beech

Common Beech (Fagus sylvatica) is a common deciduous tree in British woodlands. The leaves are edible for the first few weeks after they appear in the spring and the tree produces an edible nut.

Where does Common Beech grow?

Common Beech (also known as European Beech) is native to southern England, although there is some debate as to whether it was actually introduced up to 4-6,000 years ago. It can be found in much of Europe and seems to prefer well-drained and slightly acidic soils. Beech was often planted for firewood, furniture and other uses and there are Beech plantations that are centuries old scattered across the UK.

Are Beech leaves edible?

There are two edible parts of the Common Beech – the leaves and the nut, AKA Beechmast. The leaves are best eaten when young and in the first few weeks after they appear on the tree. After that they tend to be too bitter and/or tough. The nuts are slightly harder to collect – they are either out of reach of the human forager or they have been nabbed by the local squirrels before you get a chance to grab them. The nuts are on the bitter side and contain a decent amount of tannin, but not enough to stop them being regularly eaten by both humans and livestock in the past. The nuts can be gathered and pressed into oil. The taste is like a sort of nutty lettuce, and a subtle texture that works well as an addition to salads or sandwiches. Excessive consumption is discouraged as there is some evidence to suggest that they are toxic in large quantities, and for some people.

How to identify Common Beech

Beech trees can be identified by their smooth, grey trunks and the distinctive leaf-litter underneath them. Beech tends to be found in small (and occasionally large) stands with several trees close together – the leaves from previous years form a dense carpet underneath. Beech leaves take longer to break down than leaves of similar size from other hardwoods and this, along with a relative lack of light and other factors, leads to very little undergrowth establishing itself under a canopy of Beech trees.

Potential dangers and misidentification

The easiest mistake to make when looking for Beech trees is to confuse them with Tilia platyphyllos, sometimes known as Large-Leaved Lime. This tree is common in parts of England and has been used in herbal medicine.

The underside of beech leaves in spring
The underside of young Beech leaves in Spring
An avenue of beech trees in spring leaf
An avenue of Beech trees in Spring
Beech nut on the ground
Beech nuts on the ground
Beech mast in hand
One closed and one open Beech mast outer shell
Upper side of beech leaves in spring uk edible wild plant
The upper side of young Beech leaves

A note of caution

Foraging and hunting for wild food is a potentially hazardous activity. Whilst we try to make sure these wild food guides are as accurate as possible there is ALWAYS the possibility of misidentifying a plant or other item and the descriptions given might also apply to similar toxic plants. Common names cannot be relied upon as they change from region to region, and there are some similar names for very different plants.

You should always be confident of the identification of a plant, fungus or lichen BEFORE you touch it and especially before you put it anywhere near your mouth. The best way to do that is by checking with a good wild flower key or identification book, and ideally cross-referencing between more than one book. We have a blog post on some of the foraging guide books that we recommend HERE. We also deliver foraging and wild foods training in person and online.

A Mountain Leader with over a decade of experience across the UK and overseas, Richard is our Lead Instructor and a partner in Original Outdoors. He is a specialist in temperate wilderness skills and the wild foods of the British Isles, and also works as a consultant for various brands and organisations. Richard lives in North Wales.

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