Beech cupules. The husk can have a variety of spine- to scale-like appendages, the character of which is, in addition to leaf shape, one of the primary ways beeches are differentiated. The nuts are edible, though bitter (though not nearly as bitter as acorns) with a high tannin content, and are called beechnuts or beechmast. The name of the tree (Latin "fagus", whence the species name; cognate with English "beech") is of Indo-European origin, and played an important role in early debates on the geographical origins of the Indo-European people. Greek φηγός is from the same root, but the word was
The Weeping Beech The Weeping Beech The Weeping Beech Tree of Flushing is the mother of all European Weeping Beeches in the United States and was designated a living New York City Landmark in 1966. After some years on life support, it was euthanized in 1998. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. Samuel Parsons, a nurseryman responsible for the planting of Central Park, purchased the cutting that produced this tree while travelling in Belgium in 1846. The tree was on the estate of Baron DeMann in Beersal, Belgium, and transplanted to Flushing in 1847. By 1966 it