The Fagaceae, commonly called the oak or beech family, contains nine genera and about 900 species. It is widespread in the northern temperate regions and also extends into the tropics in Central America and southeast Asia. Nothophagus or southern beech formerly was included as the only southern hemisphere genus in the family but it has now been put into a family of its own. Quercus (oak) is a well-known member of the family, and another is  Castanea  (chestnut). You have to know what you're looking at to recognize the flowers of this family or even to tell that it has flowers. Female flowers are small and  inconspicuous, while the male ones are in clusters of dangling catkins. The leaves are simple, alternate and have deciduous stipules, and the fruits are nuts which are usually called acorns. Many members of the family produce valuable lumber.