Bulletin of Remarkable Trees Vol. 1 No. 3
Welcome to beech week! Let's learn about the tree world's gracious giants
Noble Beeches, in the genus Fagus, are an imposing group of trees. From their aristocratic air to their grandiose size, it’s hard to deny the unique beauty of a beech.
While there are many beech species that make up the genus Fagus, I’ll be focusing on two: Fagus sylvatica, the European Beech, and Fagus grandifolia, the American Beech.
Beech trees in the genus Fagus produce tasty kernels inside the small nuts they drop, which is the origin behind the Latinized name for the genus: from the Greek word phagos, meaning to eat. This Greek root might be familiar to the biologists among us: it’s the root of phagocytosis, the process in which cells ingest other cells or debris.
Smooth, velvety grey bark is a hallmark of beeches. The American Beech has particularly stunning bark, strikingly grey-blue, somewhat paler than European Beeches, which have a blotchy silver color.
The thinness and smoothness of beech bark make these elegant trees vulnerable to disease and damage and a target for carvings by passersby. Because beeches scar so easily, these carved messages will scar over quickly and persist on the tree’s trunk for the entirety of its life. One such American Beech is notable for being the only tree sporting carvings by American pioneer Daniel Boone, dating back to 1776.
The main difference between the European and American species of beech is in the appearance of their leaves: both leaves appear to have an oval shape, but sylvatica is more rounded at the end (thicc, as far as tree leaves go), while grandifolia takes on a more slender appearance, tapering towards the end of the leaf. Both species have glossy, even “leathery” leaves, which my grandfather, Lowell Kammerer, described as “always decorative.”
Based on my grandfather’s description, and surely confirmed by my own research into photos of beech trees in various seasons, beeches are picturesque throughout the year.
Returning to last week’s taxonomy discussion and botanical nomenclature for a minute, the genus Fagus is not without its naming controversies. According to a Bulletin of Popular Information article on beech trees (written by my grandfather in 1947), the Cutleaf Beech was at the center of a “puzzling mixup in nomenclature” due to variation in the degree of what he calls “lacination” but could also be called pinnatifid (cut into lobes that don’t quite reach through to the center of the leaf.) The Fernleaf Beech, Fagus sylvatica asplenifolia, was often confused with the Cutleaf Beech due to its narrow and “toothed” leaves. These similarities, along with vernacular names that further complicate matters, have led to confusion regarding identifying and properly categorizing beeches.
European Beech, Fagus sylvatica
The European Beech is a majestic tree with an impressive lifespan. While these trees grow slowly, they can live for hundreds of years. My grandfather repeatedly wrote about the lasting beauty of these trees. The seasonal changes the beech undergoes provide an enduring fascination throughout the year. Notably, beeches tend to hold on to their leaves through the winter. This clinging of foliage is referred to as marcescence.
One interesting species, the Dawyck Beech Fagus sylvatica ‘Dawyck’, is named for a Scottish estate where the variety was first discovered. The authentic tree which established the variety still exists on the estate property.
American Beech, Fagus grandifolia
American Beeches are tall and “column-like” when growing in forests, but when isolated in the open are shorter, often with a divided trunk. My grandfather described them as “clannish by nature,” often growing alongside other beech trees in stands composed solely of beeches.
Beeches at Riverby
My grandfather planted a particularly intriguing beech species, Fagus sylvatica purpurea, at his home, Riverby, along the DuPage River in Warrenville. In his journal from 1940, he describes planting and providing for the Purple Beech, ordered from a nursery in Indianapolis, Indiana. My dad distinctly remembers this tree; he described the decidedly red and purple leaves worn by this beautiful beech as it weathered the seasons in the yard, between the house and the river bank.
I haven’t had access to my grandfather’s photographs this week, although I’m willing to bet there’s a picture of the beech tree in the yard at Riverby. I’ll make sure to have a photo ready for beech week 2.0!
Beeches at the Morton Arboretum
The Morton Arboretum maintains some notable beech trees. My grandfather mentioned several in his journals and the Bulletin, so I took to the Arboretum website to see if these trees were still thriving.
From my research, it seems like a number of these trees are still present! As soon as I can take a trip over to the Arboretum, I’ll track down these statuesque specimens and provide updates (and pictures).
Beeches in Chicagoland, and how are they doing now?
Beyond the Arboretum, my grandfather noted some impressive beeches in Chicagoland, specifically in this issue Bulletin of Popular Information from 1947; a few in the Western suburbs of Elmhurst, Aurora, and Wheaton, as well as specimens located in Hinsdale and Oak Park. He also described particularly impressive Cutleaf Beeches in the area:
“In Wilder Park in suburban Elmhurst, just opposite the northwest corner of the town library is the largest and oldest specimen of the rare Cutleaf Beech, Fagus sylvatica laciniata, known hereabouts. Though perhaps not uncommonly large when measured by standards used in the east where Beech occur frequently and grow to great size, this thirty-five foot specimen, two feet through at breast height, is remarkably fine, and quite large enough to demonstrate the stately character this variety attains as it approached maturity. No information is at hand as to the history of this tree though we would estimate its age to exceed fifty years.”
“Aside from the tree in Elmhurst, the only other Cutleaf Beech we know of in this area stands on the grounds of the University of Chicago’s Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay, Wisconsin.”
The Yerkes Observatory is a historic observatory located in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, on the shores of Geneva Lake. The observatory had an impressive tenure through the 20th century before being put up for sale by the University in 2005. Developers were interested in the site for luxury homes, and the future of the last undeveloped lakeshore wood was in question. The observatory formally closed in 2018. Ultimately, a group of the observatory’s neighbors created the Yerkes Future Foundation in hopes of preserving the site. Earlier this year, the observatory and surrounding land were obtained by the foundation, which is evaluating and restoring the site.
The Cutleaf Beech mentioned by my grandfather in the Bulletin is amongst excellent tree company: “state record” trees including European and fern leaf beeches, a white fir, and a Japanese pagoda tree. The landscaping around the observatory was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who also designed New York City’s Central Park.
Whatever the future holds for the observatory and the land surrounding it, one can only hope these historic trees are preserved and cherished.
Which of these impressive Beech species speaks to you the most? Let me know in the comments below.
Thank you for reading, and I’m looking forward to bringing you more tree-related content next week!
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