taxon_rank weeping beech
Fagaceae is a ___MASK38___ of flowering plants that includes beeches and oaks , and comprises eight genera with about 927 species . The Fagaceae are deciduous or evergreen trees and shrubs , characterized by alternate simple leaves with pinnate venation , unisexual flowers in the ___MASK17___ of catkins , and fruit in the ___MASK17___ of cup - like ( cupule ) nuts . Their leaves are often lobed and both petioles and stipules are generally present . Leaf characteristics of Fagaceae can be very similar to those of Rosaceae and other rose motif families . Their fruits lack endosperm and lie in a scaly or spiny husk that may or may not enclose the entire nut , which may consist of one to seven seeds . In the oaks , genus " Quercus ", the fruit is a non - valved nut ( usually containing one seed ) called an acorn . The husk of the acorn in most oaks only forms a cup in which the nut sits . Fagaceae is one of the most ecologically important woody plant families in the Northern Hemisphere , as oaks ___MASK17___ the backbone of temperate forests in North America , Europe , and Asia and one of the most significant sources of wildlife fodder . Fagus crenata , known as the Japanese beech , Siebold ' s beech , or buna , is a deciduous tree of the beech ___MASK40___ , " Fagus ", of the ___MASK38___ Fagaceae . It is native to Japan , where it is widespread and often one of the dominant trees of Japan ' s deciduous forests . It is found from the Oshima Peninsula in Hokkaid south to the sumi Peninsula in Kysh . In north - east Honsh it grows in large stands from sea level up to but in the south - west of its range it is restricted to mountainous areas and occurs in small , isolated populations . It grows in well - drained , loamy or sandy soils . Fagus orientalis , commonly known as the Oriental beech , is a deciduous tree in the beech ___MASK38___ Fagaceae . It is native to Eurasia , in Eastern Europe and Western Asia . Beech (" Fagus ") is a ___MASK40___ of deciduous trees in the ___MASK38___ Fagaceae , native to temperate Europe , Asia and North America . Recent classification systems of the ___MASK40___ recognize ten to thirteen species in two distinct subgenera , " Engleriana " and " Fagus ". The " Engleriana " subgenus is found only in East Asia , and is notably distinct from the " Fagus " subgenus in that these beeches are low - branching trees , often made up of several major trunks with yellowish bark . Further differentiating characteristics include the whitish bloom on the underside of the leaves , the visible tertiary leaf veins , and a long , smooth cupule - peduncle . " Fagus japonica ", " Fagus engleriana ", and the species " F . okamotoi ", proposed by the botanist Chung - Fu Shen in 1992 , comprise this subgenus . The better known " Fagus " subgenus beeches are high - branching with tall , stout trunks and smooth silver - grey bark . This group includes " Fagus sylvatica ", " Fagus grandifolia ", " Fagus crenata ", " Fagus lucida ", " Fagus longipetiolata ", and " Fagus hayatae ". The classification of the European beech , " Fagus sylvatica " is complex , with a ___MASK30___ of different names proposed for different species and subspecies within this region ( for example " Fagus taurica ", " Fagus orientalis ", and " Fagus moesica "). Research suggests that beeches in Eurasia differentiated fairly late in evolutionary history , during the Miocene . The populations in this area represent a range of often overlapping morphotypes , though genetic analysis does not clearly support separate species . In biology , a ___MASK46___ ( abbreviated sp ., with the plural ___MASK17___ ___MASK46___ abbreviated spp .) is the basic unit of biological classification and a taxonomic rank . A ___MASK46___ is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which two individuals can produce fertile offspring , typically by sexual reproduction . While this definition is often adequate , looked at more closely it is often problematic . For example , in a ___MASK46___ complex , the boundaries between closely related ___MASK46___ become unclear or disappear altogether . Other ways of defining ___MASK46___ include similarity of DNA , morphology , or ecological niche . The presence of locally adaptive traits may further subdivide ___MASK46___ into infraspecific taxa such as subspecies . In botany , a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem , or trunk , supporting branches and leaves in most ___MASK46___ . In some usages , the definition of a tree may be narrower , including only woody plants with secondary growth , plants that are usable as lumber or plants above a specified height . Trees are not a taxonomic group but include a ___MASK30___ of plant ___MASK46___ that have independently evolved a woody trunk and branches as a way to tower above other plants to compete for sunlight . In looser senses , the taller palms , the tree ferns , bananas and bamboos are also trees . Trees tend to be long - lived , some reaching several thousand years old . The tallest known tree , a coast redwood named Hyperion , stands high . Trees have been in existence for 370 million years . It is estimated that there are just over 3 trillion mature trees in the world . Fagus sylvatica , the European beech or common beech , is a deciduous tree belonging to the beech ___MASK38___ Fagaceae . Fagus longipetiolata is a ___MASK46___ of plant in the Fagaceae ___MASK38___ . It is a tree up to tall found in southern and eastern China and in Vietnam . Deciduous means " falling off at maturity " " or " tending to fall off ", and it is typically used in ___MASK12___ to refer to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally ( most commonly during autumn ) and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe . In a more general sense , " deciduous " means " the dropping of a part that is no longer needed " or " falling away after its purpose is finished ". In plants it is the result of natural processes . " Deciduous " has a similar meaning when referring to animal parts , such as deciduous antlers in deer or deciduous teeth , also known as baby teeth , in some mammals ( including humans ). The Weeping Beech , Fagus sylvatica ' Pendula ' , is a cultured ___MASK30___ of the deciduous European Beech . The weeping beech is characterized by its shape with sweeping , pendulous branches . The stem of the tree may not be visible from a distance due to the presence of the covering weeping branches . Branches may reach the ground and start new roots again . Smaller than the Common Beech , the tree can reach a height of up to 25 m and tends to be wider than high . Leaves of the weeping beech are broad , flat , simple and not lobed . They have smooth margins and alternate . They typically measure 5 -- 10 cm in length . Flowers appear in the spring and are inconspicuous . The beechnuts sit in a thin spiny husk and are less than 5 cm in diameter . Young trees need to be staked to make them grow upward ; growth tends to be slow . Weeping beeches may live for 150 to 200 years . The tree is not native to North America but grows in USDA hardiness zones 4 - 7 . It needs moisture and well drained soil and prefers sunny to semi - shaded zones . The tree does not tolerate industrial pollution including street salt . It is a spectacular tree that needs room to be fully appreciated . The green leaves become copper - toned in the fall . In winter the skeleton of the silvery stem with its branches remains attractive . The tree can be pruned for walkways . Pest that can attack the tree includes aphids , borers ( flat - headed apple tree borer , two - lined chestnut borer ) , certain caterpillars , and fungal disease . A fine example of Fagus sylvatica `` Purpurea Pendula '' can be found within the Botanical Garden at Malahide Castle Nr Dublin ROI . The purple pigment in the leaves acts like a sunscreen to protect its new leaves , which is particularly important for plants that grow at high altitudes where the sun is fierce . The triangular beech nuts are popular in autumn with Malahide ' s birds , mice and squirrels . A ___MASK40___ ( genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms in biology . In the hierarchy of biological classification , ___MASK40___ comes above ___MASK46___ and below ___MASK38___ . In binomial nomenclature , the ___MASK40___ name forms the first part of the binomial ___MASK46___ name for each ___MASK46___ within the ___MASK40___ . Fagus hayatae , also known as Taiwan Beech , is a ___MASK46___ of beech tree . It can grow tall . Taiwan Beech is the only beech of Taiwan . While IUCN reports it , though similar to " Fagus lucida " of China , as endemic to Taiwan , "" Flora of China "" and "" Flora of Taiwan "" also report it from China ; "" Flora of China "" reports a wide but discontinuous mainland distribution between Sichuan in the southwest to Zhejiang in the east . Fagus grandifolia ( American beech or North American beech ) is the ___MASK46___ of beech tree native to the eastern United States and extreme southeast Canada . The genus name " Fagus " is Latin for " beech ", and the ___MASK46___ name " grandifolia " comes from " grandis " " large " and " folium " " leaf ". Fagus japonica , known as the Japanese Blue Beech or in Japanese as inubuna (" dog buna ") or kurobuna (" black buna "), is a deciduous tree of the beech ___MASK38___ Fagaceae . It is native to Japan , where it is one of the main tree species in natural deciduous forests particularly on the Pacific side of the country . A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant and is the principal lateral appendage of the stem . The leaves and stem together ___MASK17___ the shoot . Leaves are collectively referred to as foliage , as in " autumn foliage ."