Fagus sylvatica
- Height: up to 40 m
- Trunk: very smooth, grey-brown bark
- Leaves: ovate to elliptical, 5–10 cm long, margin smooth to wavy, initially light green, later glossy dark green, underside lighter, initially hairy, margin ciliate, leaf base often oblique
- Flowers: male flowers as long-stalked, 3–5 cm long, spherical clusters; female flowers stand upright as inconspicuous, four-lobed fruit cups, in April/May before leaf emergence
- Fruits/Seeds: triangular, edible beechnuts in spiny, four-lobed, woody cups in September/October
- Other: Shade tree; the name "red beech" refers to the reddish wood, not to red leaves; a special form, the "blood beech," has deep red leaves
Photos: Wolfgang Schödel (1,2,3), BUND Naturschutz in Bayern (4,5)