| Description | A very large Beech tree with black-red purple leaves. |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | (FA-gus)(sil-VAT-i-ka) |
| Plant Type | All Plants, Trees Deciduous |
| Hardiness Zone | 4-9 |
| Sunlight | full, tolerates shade |
| Moisture | average, preferrs moist |
| Soil & Site | average, avoid compact soils, doesn't tolerate wet |
| Flowers | inconspicuous, monoecious, male and female flowers separate on the same tree |
| Fruit | a triangular nut enclosed in a spiky 4-lobes involucre, contains 2 nuts |
| Leaves | new leaves deep black red with time will change to purple-green, I have seen leaves on the shaded sides of trees with purple-green leaves and the full sun side with deep black red color, |
| Stems | gray bark |
| Dimensions | The tree that I have observed over the past 25 years is at least 60 by 60 feet, it was a rescued transplant from a road project |
| Propagation | grafting, reproduces some what true from seed but with variation in the leaf color |
| Cultivar Origin | Occurred before 1772 in the Hangleiter Forest near Sondershausen in Thuringia. |
| Misc Facts | I have come across the genus name as purperea, atropurpurea, purpurea latifoia, etc. Seems to be alot of confusion about the origin and proper taxonomy of this plant The genus name is derived from Greek phegos (beech) or phago- (eating) component, and is the Latin name for 'beech tree'. Sylvatica means 'wild, of or from woods or forests'. (#145) |
| Notes & Reference | #01-Manual of Woody Landscape Plants (Michael Dirr), #93-North American Landscape Trees (Arthur Lee Jacobson), #145-Plant Lives (Sue Eland) www.plantlives.com |
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