The Weird Faux de Verzy...

To make the most of the weather I went to visit the faux de Verzy yesterday, in a wood devoted mainly to this tree. The faux are a contorted, twisted variety of the beech tree, and the name comes from old French for this tree, and the latin word, fagus. While the largest concentration of these are here in the Champagne region of France, others are to be found in Hannover, Germany, and in Malmö, Sweden.

Indeed, this very specific beech tree grows to only a very maximum of 3-4 metres from the ground, and as it grows its branches twist and weld together to from a dense green parasol, or igloo form in summer, giving rise to rich names such as le faux parapluie, le faux de la tête de boeuf and le faux de la Demoiselle (in honour of Joan of Arc, said to have slept in the forest). A tree may produce long running branches (marcottes), just above the ground, which will then take root and grow into new trees whilst still attached to the 'parent'. Others have roots that then go up to the surface to develop into new trees. Meanwhile only 40% of actual seeds will go on to develop into the characteristic faux; whether this depends on the soil, water properties or climate remains to be established. The faux leave a beautiful, yet tortured structure in winter, when the forms appear at their most striking and stark without their folliage; Tolkien could have drawn inspiration here...

The cause of the unusual branch formation remains a mystery even today, and this is perhaps all the more intriguing since other varieties of tree can develop the same characteristics - the oak, the chestnut tree & the European hornbeam being other examples. Sometimes the faux will be entwined around another tree, creating a dramatic effect; in this case, the tree has grown around an oak. Not surprisingly, all kind of legends have surrounded the faux through the ages- it is said that the faux were sent as a divine punishment against the non-believers of Verzy...In the 6th century  a certain Saint Basle came to Reims, having met the archbishop of Saint Remi and became a hermit living in a grotto in the forest of Verzy, ready to preach to the population of the area.
I can't wait to go back on a misty autumn day, or when the whole area is under a layer of  snow in winter...