The true beeches, as opposed to 'false' or southern beeches, are northern hemisphere trees, which occur in temperate regions of the world - Asia, North America and Europe, including Great Britain.
Closely related to oaks and sweet chestnuts, the true beeches are among the most majestic of all deciduous trees, some attaining heights in excess of 40 metres (30ft). Typically they have smooth, thin, silver-grey bark, long buds and edible nuts in four-parted husks.
Of the ten species in total, the two most commonly found in the British Isles are: