Fagus sylvatica Cockleshell

Fagus sylvatica 'Cockleshell' is a medium-sized variety of Common Beech with an upright and slender habit and a columnar, narrow and straight, closed and dense crown. Its leaves are quite small, light green and quite round. Its foliage turns a beautiful golden colour before drying out in autumn, remaining attached to the branches for a long time. The tree prefers temperate, humid climates, and deep and cool, slightly acidic to limestone soils.

The beech tree, in Latin Fagus sylvatica, is an imposing tree with a spreading habit. Its cylindrical trunk is covered with a smooth, light grey bark. This tree can live for several centuries. Native to central Europe to the Caucasus, it is one of the most common species in European forests. Its reddish wood is used in cabinetmaking and for the production of wooden tools and toys as well as firewood. It is very hardy and can reach a height of 20 m at maturity.

Over time, the 'Cockleshell' cultivar forms a tree with a straight trunk supporting a beautiful narrow and dense crown. At maturity, it will reach about 12 to 15 m in height and 6 to 8 m in spread. Its foliage consists of alternate leaves with toothed and wavy margins. They appear in spring. Light green at bud burst, they become slightly darker 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 tiny, cream flowers appear almost at the same time as the leaves, from April to May. The male flowers, separate from the female flowers, are grouped in pendulous catkins of 40 to 60 mm. The female flowers are grouped in 2 to 4 at the end of the branches. Mature trees produce brown, shiny fruits called beech nuts covered with bristly prickles. These 12 to 18 mm long fruits are edible in small quantities. Mountain dwellers used to use them to make flour.

Fagus sylvatica 'Cockleshell' is a very hardy tree, requiring little maintenance where it thrives. It prefers cool and temperate or mountainous climates and will suffer in gardens with excessively hot and dry summers. Planted as a specimen, this beech tree will create a focal point in a fairly large garden or park.