Common beech woodland in Compton Abbas, Dorset
© Guy Edwardes/2020VISION/Minden Pictures
Common beech woodland in Compton Abbas, Dorset
If oak is considered the king of British trees, then common beech (Fagus sylvatica) is the queen. The mother of the woods is associated with femininity because it gives protection and nourishment, offering shelter with its domed crown of branches and beech nuts which are edible. Native to southern England and South Wales, it is capable of reaching heights of up to 160 feet and can live for hundreds of years.
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