Beech family
Description
An important family of evergreen or deciduous trees, concentrated in the northern hemisphere and absent from Africa (Fagaceae 1).
The leaves are alternate, simple, entire or lobed, with stipules. The unisexual flowers are borne in catkins (Fagaceae 2), without petals, the male ones with many free stamens, the female ones with an inferior ovary. The fruit is a nut within a woody capsule (Fagaceae 3).
There are 8 genera.
Use
The family yields timber, cork and edible seeds like the sweet chestnut.
Described species
Castanea sativa, sweet chestnut
Quercus suber, cork oak