FAGUS (the old Latin name, akin to Greek Phegos, an Oak, and perhaps derived from Phago, to eat; the nuts were used as food in the early ages). Beech. ORD. Cupuliferae. A genus containing about fifteen species of handsome, deciduous or evergreen threes or shrubs, widely distributed throughout the temperate and colder regions of both Northern and Southern hemispheres. Male flowers disposed in long-stalked, drooping heads; calyx four to seven - lobed. Female flowers two to four together, in a four - partite involucre of imbricating bracts. Leaves entire or toothed. the common Beech grows well in most dry soils, preferring a sandy loam, with chalky bottom, and light loams generally, to heavier soils. Propagation is effected by means of the seeds or nuts, which ripen in October. In order to keep them in a fit condition for sowing during the ensuing march or April, they should, after being thoroughly dried, be mixed with about double the quantity of dry sand, in tubs or barrels, and stored in a loft or some cool place. Provided mice can be kept off the ground, it is better to sow the nuts immediately after they have been collected; they may either be sown in drills or in beds, covering with about 1in. of soil. As the Beech does not always transplant very readily, it will be necessary to replant in nursery rows every two or three seasons, until the seedlings have attained the desired size and are placed in the positions they are intended to occupy permanently. The numerous varieties of our native species are propagated by grafting on the type. The common beech succeeds admirably as a hedge, which it is usual to trim close; and as the deal leaves cling to the stems in winter and during the early spring months, they give valuable shelter. An oil is expressed from Beech nuts. FAGUS Antarctica (Antarctic).* l. ovate, blunt, glabrous, attenuated at the base, doubly dentate, alternate petiolate, 1 1/2in. long. Tierra del Fuego, 1830. a deciduous shrub or tree, with rugged, tortuous branches. (II. F. A. 123.) FAGUS betuloides (Birch-like).* Evergreen beech. L. ovate-elliptic, obtuse, crenulate, leathery, shining, glabrous, round at the base, on short footstalks. Tierra del Fuego, 1830. an evergreen tree (H. F. A. 124.) FAGUS ferruginea (rusty).* l. ovate, acuminate, thickly toothed, downy beneath, ciliate on the margin. United States, 1766. A large, deciduous tree, very closely resembling the common European species, from which it is distinguished by its longer, thinner, and less shining leaves. FAGUS oblique (oblique). l. ovate-oblong, oblique, somewhat rhomboid, blunt, doubly serrated, entire at the base, attenuated into the petioles, and somewhat downy. h. 50ft. Chili. Hardy, deciduous. FAGUS sylvatica (sylvan). Common Beech. L. oblong-ovate, obscurely toothed; margin ciliate. h. 60ft. to 100ft. A triangular area between Norway, Asia Minor, and Spain. A large, deciduous tree. Of the numerous varieties of this splendid species, the following are the most important; argenteo-variegatis, leaves silver-striped; asplenifolia, heterophylla, incisa, and quercifolia, with more or less cut leaves; cuprea, leaves copper-coloured; aureo-variegatis, leaves gold-striped; purpurea, leaves deep purple; and the weeping or pendulous form, pendula. FAGUS sylvatica tricolor (three-coloured). l. dark purplish-green, spotted with bright carmine-rose, and shaded with rosy-white. 1885. An ornamental garden variety.