Beech fauna, and is a sharp line along the Swedish western coast, which gets broader toward the south. In Denmark and Scania, at the southernmost peak of the Scandinavian peninsula, south-west of the natural spruce boundary, it is the most common forest tree. In Norway, the beech migration was very recent, and the species has not reached its distribution potential. Thus, the occurrence of oak in Norway is used as an indicator of the border between the temperate deciduous forest and the boreal spruce – pine forest. "Fagus sylvatica" is one of the most common hardwood trees in north central Europe,
Carex sylvatica York and North Carolina, and to New Zealand, where it was first recorded in 1969. In its native range, "C. sylvatica" lives in deciduous woodlands on heavy soils; it is sometimes found in unwooded areas, but usually only as a relic of ancient woodland. In North America, it is generally found in disturbed areas within deciduous woodland. "Carex sylvatica" was first described by the English botanist William Hudson in his 1762 work "Flora Anglica". Hybrids have been reported between "C. sylvatica" and "C. strigosa" (in France) and between "C. sylvatica" and "C. hirta" (in Austria). Its English common name is