European beech

“Der er et yndigt land” – the Danish anthem praises a country “with broad beeches by the salty shore”.

The European beech is a tall tree with smooth, silvery-grey bark and glossy oval leaves that are a delicate pale green in spring and turn copper in autumn. Its dense crown casts deep shade on the forest floor, so beech woods are home mainly to plants that flower in early spring, such as wood anemones. The nuts, known as beechmast, are produced in abundance every few years and are an important food for woodland animals. The hard, pale wood is used to make furniture – including classics of Danish design – and toys.

Significance in the country

The beech is regarded as Denmark’s national tree, and its coming into leaf in spring (“bøgen springer ud”) is an eagerly awaited event reported by the media. The first verse of the national anthem opens with an image of beeches growing on the shores of the Baltic.

Where it grows

In woods across the country, most abundantly on the fertile clays of eastern Jutland, Funen, Zealand and Bornholm; famous beech woods include Rold Skov and Gribskov and those on the cliffs of Møns Klint.

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