Beech tree. Image 5 of 12. European beech tree (Fagus sylvatica) in May. It is still developing new leaves, having shed its old ones for the winter. The beech may reach up to 40 metres in height and live for several hundred years. It is found throughout Europe, apart from in the far north and south. Photographed in Oxfordshire, England. For images of this tree during the changing seasons, see images B601/196-207.