Fagus orientalis Fagus orientalis Fagus orientalis, commonly known as the Oriental beech, is a deciduous tree in the beech family Fagaceae. It is native to Eurasia, in Eastern Europe and Western Asia. "Fagus orientalis" is a large tree, capable of reaching heights of up to tall and trunk diameter, though more typically tall and up to trunk diameter. The leaves are alternate, simple, and entire or with a slightly crenate margin, long and broad, with 7–13 veins on each side of the leaf (6–7 veins in "F. sylvatica"). The buds are long and slender, long and thick, but thicker, till , where
Nyssa sylvatica in the Northeast is "pepperidge." On Martha's Vineyard, in Massachusetts, this species is called "beetlebung", perhaps for its use in making the mallet known as a beetle, used for hammering bungs (stoppers) into barrels. "Nyssa sylvatica" grows to tall, rarely to , with a trunk diameter of , rarely up to . These trees typically have a straight trunk with the branches extending outward at right angles. The bark is dark gray and flaky when young, but it becomes furrowed with age, resembling alligator hide on very old stems. The twigs of this tree are reddish-brown, usually hidden by a