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Fagus crenata
Fagus crenata, buna (Japanese: ブナ), known as Siebold's beech, or Japanese beech, is a species of deciduous tree in the family Fagaceae. It is a tall dense hardwood that is only native to Japan. The first written record of this tree in the Western world was in 1830 and it was scientifically described in 1851. It is a high canopy tree and is the dominant tree in most of its range; often colocated with Quercus crispula (Japanese oak) and Acer mono (Painted maple). Nuts, seeds, oil, and young leaves can be eaten but care must be exercised due to toxins. It is also used for firewood, furniture, construction, and shade. Climate change is having a negative impact on this tree.
F. crenata prefers light or medium well-drained soil, including in chalky soils, clay, soil with high organic matter, and loam. Preferred soils are less than 6.0 acid and above 8.0 alkaline. It needs sun and is shade tolerant. While it does well in cold weather, it also needs hot summers. The trees grow very slowly. Because its roots can appear on the surface, there is often little or no vegetation under them. Seeds should be sown as soon as they are ripe in the autumn. Seedlings grow slowly the first few years and can be damaged by frosts.
Fagus crenata is endemic to Japan, where it is widespread and often one of the dominant trees of Japan's cool-temperate deciduous forests, where it is often colocated with Quercus crispula (Japanese oak) and Acer mono (Painted maple). All three species function as canopy trees, with F. crenata being dominant. Wind storms are the most significant cause of canopy damage to these forests. In parts of its range, other deciduous trees often found with F. crenata include: Fagus japonica, Magnolia obovata, Fraxinus lanuginosa, Acer japonicum, Quercus serrata, and Carpinus laxiflora.
Ripe nuts, oil, and seeds can be eaten and the young, green leaves are cooked for food. Fagus crenata provides good wildlife cover, shade, and is used in bonsai. It is popular in bonsai because it looks similar to its fully grown forest specimens. Being a dense hardwood, F. crenata is useful as firewood, furniture, and in construction.
Fagus chienii · Chinese Beech · American Beech · Taiwan Beech · Caucasian Beech · Japanese Blue Beech · Fagus lucida · Mexican Beech · Oriental Beech · South Chinese Beech · Dwarf beech · European Beech
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Fagus crenata by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
