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beech --- classical semi-diffuse porous; pores are tiny down to uncountable, growth ring boundaries clear due to both a thinning of the pores and a darkening of the tissue at the end of the latewood, plentiful rays of various sizes with the largest ones sometimes visible to the naked eye. Beech is noted for having widely varying ray widths, from very thin to quite thick within the same piece.

Of the semi-ring porous and semi-diffuse porous woods that are otherwise all on the "semi ring porous" page, this one is broken out simply because I happen to have a lot of samples of it.



     

• American beech / Fagus grandifolia
• American beech / Fagus grandifolia
• American beech / Fagus grandifolia

     

• American beech / Fagus grandifolia
• beech / Fagus grandifolia
• "Mexican" beech / Fagus grandifolia --- I put "Mexican" in quotes beause that is not a standard name for Fagus grandifolia and was likely just give to American beech by someone who harvested it in Mexico --- actual Mexican beech is Fagus mexicana. HOWEVER, given the difference in characteristics between this and the other Fagus grandifolia samples, it is possible that this is actually Fagus mexicana and mis-labled as grandifolia

     

• Japanese beech / Fagus crenata
• Siebold's beech / Fagus crenata --- note that the original designation for Siebold's beech was Fagus fagus sieboldii but that is now considered just a synonym of Fagus crenata
• oriental beech / Fagus orientalis

     

• European beech / Fagus sylvatica
• European beech / Fagus sylvatica
• European beech / Fagus sylvatica

     

• European beech / Fagus sylvatica
• European beech / Fagus sylvatica
• European beech / Fagus sylvatica

 

• European beech / Fagus sylvatica --- a particularly good example of the variable size of the rays in beech

     

• European purple leaved beech / Fagus Fagus sylvatica var purpurea
• European purple leaved beech / Fagus Fagus sylvatica var purpurea --- an unusually long and strong latewood with very few pores
• European purple leaved beech / Fagus Fagus sylvatica var purpurea

   
these two are from nearby areas of the same piece and are shown together to emphasize the extreme variability of ray sizes within the same piece of beech

• European purple leaved beech / Fagus Fagus sylvatica var purpurea
• European purple leaved beech / Fagus Fagus sylvatica var purpurea

   

   

• beech / Fagus spp.
• beech / Fagus spp.


• beech / Fagus spp.
• beech / Fagus spp.

     
spalted beech --- white rot / punkiness makes the end grain characteristics hard to discern

• beech (spalted) / Fagus spp. note that this piece appears to be more pure diffuse porous since it does not have lower pore count or darkening of tissue at the end of the latewood
• beech (spalted) / Fagus spp. --- rather obscure image due to slight punkiness in the wood
• beech (spalted) / Fagus spp.