Yesterday afternoon I visited Longwood Gardens on my way to see my grandmother in Philadelphia (my grandmother who incidentally celebrated her 101st New Year. She's a rock star.). I wanted to get some shots of their holiday display (which I'll post next December when we are all a bit more enthusiastic for such content) as well as some photos of plants that are gorgeous even in the depths of winter. (Frankly, I think almost all plants look great all year, but enough of the parentheticals.)
Above is a gorgeous specimen of a European beech, or Fagus sylvatica. I posted about American beech a little over a month ago and you can now see how similar the two species are. Both have smooth gray bark, both are perfectly symmetrical in habit when grown in an open space. Both have long, spindle-like buds.
The only obvious difference is in the leaf. European beeches have smooth leaf margins that curl slightly - they resemble the tracks of a kiddie roller coaster - the leaf edge gently rolls up and down. There are no spines or serrations, either. European beeches are a bit more tolerant to foot traffic and conditions common in a park or residential setting and the species generally is smaller than the American counterpart (F. grandifolia can reach 80', F. sylvatica rarely surpasses 60').
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