Fagus sylvatica Purpurea Tricolor - Beech

The Fagus sylvatica 'Purpurea Tricolor' is a very unique selection of beech with its pink and white variegation, especially intense in spring. Its young foliage is adorned with colours as vibrant and bright as spring flowering. It forms a medium-sized tree with a conical, then rounded habit, its branches beautifully arched. Its majestic silhouette is highlighted by a smooth, silvery-grey bark, in strong contrast with the coppery foliage that persists on the branches until the spring growth resumes. The variegated foliage is more sensitive to light and may scorch under intense exposure in dry soil. Indigenous and robust, this variety prefers the more humid environments of temperate climates and will require space, light, and moisture in the soil to thrive. Give it a place of its own on a large meadow or incorporate it into country hedges.

The Fagus sylvatica 'Purpurea Tricolor' is quite an imposing tree when allowed to grow freely. In the long run, it can reach about 10m (32 ft 10 in) in height and 8m (26 ft 2 in) in width and can live for a very long time. Its cylindrical trunk is covered with a smooth bark of light grey colour. Its ancestor is native to central Europe to the Caucasus, and it is one of the most common species in European forests, covering 10% of French forests. Its reddish wood is used in cabinet-making and for the production of wooden tools and toys, as well as firewood.

The 'Purpurea Tricolor' form is a novel variety with its dark purple foliage, widely variegated with pink and white, especially when it first appears in spring. Its growth is relatively slow compared to that of the species. Its foliage is very dense, consisting of leaves arranged alternately on the branches, ovate in shape, measuring 4 to 9 cm (1.6 to 3.5 in) long. They take on a decorative coppery colour in autumn. These leaves are marcescent, meaning they dry up while remaining on the tree and only fall to the ground in late winter, just before the arrival of new leaves.

The flowers appear almost at the same time as the leaves. From April to May, monoecious flowers emerge. Male yellow flowers are grouped into pendulous catkins, measuring 40 to 60 mm (1.6 to 2.4 in). The green female flowers are grouped in pairs and fours at the ends of the branches. The tree produces fruits called beech nuts, which are shiny brown and covered in prickles. These fruits, measuring 12 to 18 mm (0.5 to 0.7 in) in length, are edible in small quantities. Mountain dwellers used to use them to make flour.

A magnificent specimen to be planted in a large garden, the purple tricolour beech is not suitable for small spaces. It thrives particularly well in cool, but not overly wet, well-drained soils, even limestone and preferably rich in humus. However, it can be trained as a topiary to reduce its size or cultivated as a bonsai.