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Fagus sylvatica 'Atropunicea'
Purple Beech, Copper Beech
| Beech's common name comes from a Saxon word meaning book. The smooth, light gray bark was once used like paper, and the wood used to make tablets. The trees' lofty, rounded crowns reach 50 to 100 feet tall and wide. Their shade is so dense that other plants cannot grow beneath them. Spring flowers are followed by triangular nuts with edible kernels that birds enjoy. In autumn, leaves turn amber to bronze. Prefers acid soil, and will not tolerate salt. Prune in summer and early fall to shape and to remove dead limbs and basal sprouts. Let trees' own fallen leaves act as mulch, or mulch within dripline to protect shallow roots and maintain cool moist soil. Generally pest-free, they are prone to Beech scale and, in the Northeast, a fungus called Nectria. Aphids cause some dripping honeydew. |
New growth starts blackish red and turns purpish green, while the tree itself matures into a stately form. Many purple-leafed selections exist, some of which retain leaf color throughout summer.
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Attributes - Fagus sylvatica 'Atropunicea'
Plant Type: Tree
Foliage: Deciduous
Height: 50 ft. to 60 ft.
Width: 45 ft.
Sunlight: Full Sun, Partial Sun
Climate: Zones 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
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Related Plants
Fagus grandifolia, Fagus sylvatica, Fagus sylvatica 'Pendula'
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