Fagus orientalis the buds include flower buds. The flowers are small catkins which appear shortly after the leaves in spring. The seeds are small triangular nuts long and wide at the base; there are two nuts in each cupule, maturing in the autumn 5–6 months after pollination. The cupule differs from that of European Beech in having flattened, slightly leaf-like appendages at the base (slender, soft spines in European Beech). "Fagus orientalis" is closely related to the "Fagus sylvatica" (European Beech), and intergrades with it in the Balkans and northwestern Turkey. These hybrids with European Beech are named "Fagus × taurica". The
Fagus sylvatica in the buds. In autumn, the tree builds the reserves that will sustain it into spring. Given good conditions, a bud can produce a shoot with up to ten or more leaves. The terminal bud emits a hormonal substance in the spring that halts the development of additional buds. This tendency, though very strong at the beginning of their existence, becomes weaker in older trees. It is only after the budding that root growth of the year begins. The first roots to appear are very thin (with a diameter of less than 0.5 mm). Later, after a wave of above