Scientific Name:
Fagus sylvatica
'Purple Fountain'
Pronunciation:
FAY-gus sil-VAT-ih-kuh
Common Name:
weeping purple beech
Family Name:
Fagaceae
Plant Type:
Tree - deciduous
Key ID Features:
Tall, narrow, deciduous tree with pendulous branches; leaves emerge dark purple and fade to purple-green in summer. Winter ID: bark smooth, silver-grey, with a horizontal pattern (like an elephant's leg); buds narrowly conical, most 1-2.5cm long x 4-5mm wide, pointed, spear-like, divergent, reddish-brown with grey fuzz.
Habit:
Pendulous, Stiffly upright
Form:
Columnar, Weeping
Texture:
Medium
Mature Height:
7 - 10m
Mature Spread:
2 - 3m
Growth Rate:
Slow
Origin:
Europe, Garden origin
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 5: (-29 to -23 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun, Part sun/part shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Rocky or gravelly or dry, Well-drained
Water Use:
Moderate
Landscape Uses:
Accent plant, Small garden/space, Specimen plant, Tall background
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible, Pinnate venation
Surfaces:
Lustrous, Pubescent
Colour in Summer:
Dark-green, Purple
Colour in Fall:
Yellow, Brown
Shapes:
Elliptic, Ovate
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Obtuse
Margins:
Ciliate, Entire, Undulate (wavy)
Inflorescence Type:
Catkin (ament)
Flower Morphology:
Monoecious plant
Number Of Petals:
0
Ovary Position:
Inferior
Colour (petals):
Not showy, Purple
Flower Scent:
None
Flower Time at Peak:
Apr, May
Additional Info:
Female flowers in pairs
Fruit Type:
Edible, Nut
Fruit Colour:
Green, Brown
Fruiting Time:
Sep, Oct, Nov
Additional Info:
Not showy, Accessory tissue, Edible, 3-angled nuts from compound ovary enclosed in prickly bracts that split open like a capsule
Bark Morphology:
Smooth, Single stem trunk
Bark or Stem Colour:
Grey
Leaf Bud Type:
Narrowly conical
Leaf Scar Shape:
Half-round
Organ Modifications:
Ectomycorrhizal with species of Amanita, Boletus, Cantharellus, Hebeloma and Lactarius.
Propagation:
Greenwood cuttings, Grafting
Maintenance:
Medium
Pest Susceptibility:
(Pest resistant, Disease resistant)
Course(s):
- HORT 2355
Location(s):
- (BHE) Boulevard by Hwy. 10 Eastend
- (ONE) Overpass North side East : 489
- (TFL) Turf Field Lab
- (TFLW) Turf Field Lab West