Beech
Fagus sylvatica
Beech is not truly native in this area. Only in south-east England, in south-east Wales and in Gloucestershire can it be traced back to the ice age. It was introduced into the Bristol region, but has now become well established. The name beech is derived from the German word Buche meaning 'beech', and also Buch meaning 'book'. In the middle ages when books were first written, in Germany they were bound between beech boards. The tree is still recalled in place names that begin in 'Buck' as in Buckingham. The scientific name Fagus is derived from the Greek phagein 'to eat'. The seed or 'mast' was a source of food, indeed 'mast' is derived from the German 'to eat', masten.
Beech is shallow rooted, and for this reason it wilts quickly in dry weather, and it is also easily blown over in strong winds. Trees older than about 150 years are therefore unusual. The foliage is very dense, and few plants are able to survive under a dense stand. In winter it may be identified by its characteristic torpedo-shaped buds and by its smooth bark. Like oak, also in the Fagaceae, juvenile beech plants keep their leaves during the winter, and together with its tolerance to clipping, this makes beech useful for hedging.
Furniture, ice-lollipop sticks, spoons, planes and mallets are made from beech wood, and cooking oil may be obtained from the mast. Unlike hazel, ash and lime, it does not coppice well.
Tilia cordata
Small-leaved Lime is an indicator of ancient woodland, as it rarely sets seed and so is unable to spread. It has heart shaped leaves, hence its specific name cordata, relating to the heart, which gives us the word 'cardiac'. It was commonly known as 'pry' in the Middle Ages. The generic name Tilia may be derived from the Greek 'ptilon' meaning a feather, by reference to the bract that bears the fruit. Its flowers are scented (W.H. Fitch 1919) and attract bees, but only in exceptionally hot years does it set seed. It was well known to our ancestors who used the fibres in the phloem, called the bast, to produce a very strong rope. Almost certainly lime bast rope was used to drag the large rocks from South Wales to Salisbury Plain in the construction of Stonehenge. The closely related tropical plant, Corchorus capsularis, produces the fibre known as jute, which is woven to produce sacks. The wood has almost no grain and is ideal for carving. The famous works by Grinling Gibbons, 1648-1721 adorn many of England's stately homes. A particularly good collection is at Chatsworth House. It has also been the favourite wood for the construction of the mechanism in the piano.
The common lime trees (Tilia x europaea) found in the centre of Nailsea were formed as a cross between the small-leaved lime and Tilia platyphyllos, the Large-leaved Lime, which is native in the North of England.
Terry Smith
Email t.a.smith@blueyonder.co.uk
Tel. 01275 85 4317
Towerhouse Wood
11/05/07