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[11] [18] Other species commonly mistaken for chestnut trees are the chestnut oak (Quercus prinus) and the American beech (Fagus grandifolia), [21] [7] both of which are also in the Fagaceae family. Brazil nuts, called "Brasil chestnuts" (castañas de Brasil in Spanish) or "chestnuts from Pará" (castanha-do-Pará in Portuguese) are also unrelated.
Beech is not native to Ireland; however, it was widely planted in the 18th century and can become a problem shading out the native woodland understory. Beech is widely planted for hedging and in deciduous woodlands, and mature, regenerating stands occur throughout mainland Britain at elevations below about 650 m (2,100 ft). [35]
The Fagaceae (/ f ə ˈ ɡ eɪ s i. iː,-ˌ aɪ /; from Latin fagus 'beech tree') are a family of flowering plants that includes beeches, chestnuts and oaks, and comprises eight genera with around 1,000 or more species.
The fruit is a triangle-shaped shell containing 2–3 nuts inside, but many of them do not fill in, especially on solitary trees. Beech nuts are sweet and nutritious, [7] can be eaten raw by wildlife and humans, [26] or can be cooked. [27] They can also be roasted and ground into a coffee substitute. [7] The leaves are edible when cooked. [7]
The tree produces spiky green fruits about the size of a golf ball, which turn brown and drop off the tree over an extended period beginning in fall and continuing over the winter.
An edible seed [n 1] is a seed that is suitable for human or animal consumption. Of the six major plant parts, [ n 2 ] seeds are the dominant source of human calories and protein . [ 1 ] A wide variety of plant species provide edible seeds; most are angiosperms , while a few are gymnosperms .
Marcescent leaves may be retained indefinitely and do not break off until mechanical forces (wind for instance) cause the dry and brittle petioles to snap. [9] The evolutionary reasons for marcescence are not clear, theories include: protection of leaf buds from winter desiccation, and as a delayed source of nutrients or moisture-conserving ...
Copper beech in autumn Shoot with nut cupules. Fagus sylvatica is a large tree, capable of reaching heights of up to 50 metres (160 feet) tall [4] and 3 m (10 ft) trunk diameter, though more typically 25–35 m (82–115 ft) tall and up to 1.5 m (5 ft) trunk diameter.