EVERYONE’S heard about the biggest aspidistra in the world, as sung by Gracie Fields, but Herefordshire can proudly claim to have the largest beech tree on record.

Gareth and Verena Bowen expected to find some particularly spectacular trees during their survey of nature reserves in the county, but they were astounded to find a venerable 400-year-old beech with an enormous girth in excess of 15 metres.

Carrying out their role as Ancient Tree Hunt Verifiers, they found the giant tree at Herefordshire Wildlife Trust’s Leeping Stocks reserve on the Doward.

The woodland site holds a fascinating history as part of the area fall within an ancient woodland category untouched since 1600.

While other areas at Leeping Stocks were cleared to create hedged field in centuries past, many trees here are several hundred years old.

With this exciting find, the trust is now planning to commission a full archaeological survey of the area next year to shed more light on the landscape’s features.

The beech tree in question (a common beech, fagus sylvatica), was one of many once standing on a field boundary. These trees would have been regularly coppiced, providing wood for fires, charcoal, furniture, and even flour produced from beech mast.

Coppiced trees often outlive ‘virgin’ trees which have been left to grow naturally and have distinctive multi-stemmed trunks which spread to form wide girths at their base. Herefordshire’s record-breaker has reached an enormous girth of 15.60 metres. Its closest rivals include a beech in Buckinghamshire measuring 13.05 metres and in Epping Forest, 11.50 metres. Dating a veteran coppiced tree is difficult, though it’s believed this specimen is at least 300 to 400 years old.

Said Verena: “These hedgebank beeches at Leeping Stocks are impressive specimens. Their age and past management have produced complex and intricate structures which are an important wildlife habitat.

“We’re very pleased to have been able to identify and record these trees, and perhaps to have found a record tree for Herefordshire!”!”

· To find our more, join Reserves Officer Doug Lloyd on his Treemendous Trees walk on Saturday December 5 part of National Tree Week. Booking at www.herefordshirewt.org/whats-on