Fagus sylvatica Callista - Beech

The Fagus sylvatica 'Callista' is a variety of miniature Common Beech with a columnar habit that allows this forest tree to fit into any garden, even the smallest ones. With very slow growth, this beech tree displays a distinctly upright and narrow habit that makes it an elegant specimen when planted on its own. Its light green foliage takes on a beautiful golden hue before drying out in autumn, remaining attached to the branches for a long time. The tree has the same cultural requirements as its parent, the European Beech: it likes temperate, humid climates, and deep and fresh soils, slightly acidic to slightly alkaline. 

The beech, in Latin Fagus sylvatica, is an imposing tree with a spreading habit. Its cylindrical trunk is covered with smooth light grey bark. This tree can live for several centuries. Native to Central Europe and the Caucasus, it is one of the most common species in European forests. It covers 10% of forests. The Fagus sylvatica is the most popular beech grown along with oak. Its reddish wood is used in cabinet-making and for making wooden tools and toys as well as for firewood. Very hardy, it can reach a height of 20 m (65 ft 7 in) at maturity.

The cultivar 'Callista' eventually forms a small tree with a straight trunk supporting a beautiful narrow and dense crown. At maturity, it will reach about 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in height and 90 cm (35.4 in) to 1 m (3 ft 4 in) in width. Its foliage is composed of alternate leaves with toothed and undulating margins. They appear in spring. Light green when they bud, they become dark green in summer, then golden yellow in autumn. They are slightly marcescent, meaning they dry out while remaining on the tree late in the season. The flowers appear almost at the same time as the leaves, from April to May. Barely visible, they are cream-coloured. Male flowers, separate from female flowers, are grouped into pendulous catkins measuring 40 to 60 mm (1.6 to 2.4 in). The female flowers are grouped in sets of 2 to 4 at the ends of the branches. Mature specimens produce fruits called beech nuts, which are brown, shiny, and covered in prickles. These fruits, 12 to 18 mm (0.5 to 0.7 in) long, are edible in small quantities. Mountain dwellers used to use them to make flour. 

The Fagus sylvatica 'Callista' is a very hardy tree, requiring no maintenance where it thrives. It prefers cool and temperate, or mountainous, climates, and will suffer in lowland gardens in warmer climates due to excessively hot and dry summers. Planted on its own, this beech will create a focal point in a small garden or at the centre of a bed. To enhance it, plant perennial ground cover plants or dwarf conifers with a prostrate or ball-shaped habit, for example.