Copper beech: interesting facts about growth, leaves and toxicity

Copper beech: interesting facts about growth, leaves and toxicity
Copper beech: interesting facts about growth, leaves and toxicity
Anonim

Read a commented profile about the copper beech here. Interesting facts about growth, leaves, flowers and toxicity. You can find out how to properly plant, care for and cut a copper beech hedge here.

copper beech
copper beech

What is a copper beech and how tall does it get?

The copper beech (Fagus sylvatica f. purpurea) is a variant of the common beech with dark red leaves that is valued in gardens as an impressive hedge plant or solitary tree. It grows 20 to 30 meters tall and is easy to care for, tolerates cutting and is hardy. In terms of toxicity, it is considered slightly poisonous.

Profile

  • Scientific name: Fagus sylvatica f. purpurea
  • Mutation of the species: European beech (Fagus sylvatica)
  • Family: Beech family (Fagaceae)
  • Synonym: purple beech
  • Occurrence: Europe
  • Growth type: deciduous tree
  • Growth height: 20 m to 30 m
  • Leaf: broadly elliptical, dark red
  • Flower: simple, inconspicuous
  • Fruits: beechnuts
  • Toxicity: slightly toxic
  • Use: Solitary tree, copper beech hedge, natural garden

Growth

The copper beech is a magnificent, genetic variant of the native copper beech (Fagus sylvatica) with dark wine-red leaves. Almost all specimens of this popular ornamental form go back to the mother copper beech in the Thuringian Possenwald or its legendary '11 sisters', which germinated in the immediate vicinity in 1690. To this day, the offspring are often planted across Europe as an impressive hedge or majestic solitary tree. The high appreciation of the purple beech is based on this growth:

  • Growth form: tall deciduous tree with a rounded, sprawling, richly branched crown and red leaves.
  • Special feature: branches hanging down to the ground in old age.
  • Growth height: 20 m to 30 m, in dense forest areas up to 50 m.
  • Growth width: 10 m to 20 m, in the wild up to 30 m.
  • Roots: Heartroots with flat, sometimes aggressive lateral roots near the surface.
  • Growth rate: 20 cm to 50 cm annual growth.
  • Gardenically interesting properties: completely hardy, easy to care for, tolerates pruning, ideal hedge plant, ecologically valuable, slightly poisonous fruits.

Bull beeches can get very old. When planted in the right location, the native trees reach an age of 200 to 300 years.

Leaf

The most beautiful decoration of a copper beech is its dense foliage. Seasonal variations in the red color of the leaves create a varied appearance. All important leaf characteristics are summarized in the following overview:

  • Leaf shape: short-stemmed, ovate to broadly elliptical, pointed, slightly wavy leaf edge.
  • Leaf size: 5 cm to 10 cm long, 1 cm to 7 cm wide.
  • Leaf color: shoots dark red, summer leaves reddish-green, autumn color bright yellow to orange-red.
  • Special feature: long adhesion of the brown, dried leaves until well into winter.

Interesting detail: The natural dye anthocyanins is responsible for the rich red leaf color. The young copper beech leaves contain this in high concentrations. In contrast to green-leaved beech trees, a certain enzyme is missing that is responsible for the rapid breakdown of the red color shortly after sprouting. As a result, the dye gradually breaks down over the course of the year.

Video: copper beech in spring

Bloom

The copper beech is a monoecious, separate-sexual tree. Male and female flowers can be found on a tree. A copper beech flower can be recognized by the following characteristics:

  • Flowering time: April to May (at the same time as the leaves emerge).
  • Inflorescence: long-stemmed, drooping cluster of numerous male or female individual flowers.
  • Flower shape single flower: bell-shaped
  • Flower color: yellow-green to reddish
  • Distinguishing feature male flower: 4 to 7 long stamens.
  • identifying feature female flower: pink stigmas.

Fruits

Pollinated female flowers turn into brown, hard-shelled fruits, also known as beechnuts. The fruits contain a hydrocyanic acid glycoside. Consuming even small amounts can cause nausea and discomfort in people. However, beechnuts are an important source of food for squirrels, dormouse and other forest animals.

Toxicity

The reference to mild toxicity primarily relates to the consumption of beechnuts. In addition, the copper beech is friendly to the gardener because all other parts of the plant are harmless.

Usage

Every copper beech is a natural treasure and source of life with a representative appearance. More than 300 species of beetles, over 60 species of butterflies and numerous species of birds can be found in the native deciduous trees. In combination with the shapely growth and the impressive leaf color, the purple beech is recommended for these diverse uses:

Shrub/Heister High trunk Garden Style
Privacy hedge House tree Natural Garden
Windbreak Group of trees in the park Living garden
Bird refuge Topiary tree Formal Garden
Butterfly Protection Shadow Provider Forest Garden
Beetle habitat Nisting site Country house, cottage garden

Planting copper beech trees

The best time to plant copper beech trees is in autumn. This applies equally to use in individual positions or as hedge plants. From August you can buy the most beautiful specimens at the tree nursery as inexpensive root products or ready-to-plant standard trees. A second window for planting is open in spring during the months of March to April. You can find out where and how to properly plant a copper beech as a hedge and solitary tree here:

Location

These are all the important location preferences of a copper beech:

  • Sun to partial shade (sun leaves contain more red pigment than shade leaves).
  • Normal garden soil, preferably sandy-loamy, fresh, moist, nutrient-rich and calcareous.
  • Exclusion criteria: full shade, waterlogging, acidic pH value less than 5.

Planting copper beech hedges – tips & tricks

Wet autumn weather is beneficial for the rapid rooting of a copper beech hedge. Schooled heisters with a height of 80 cm to 100 cm create the desired privacy factor at an affordable price within a short time. Saving hunters take advantage of special offers that a tree nursery has in store in the fall. A savings pack of 50 bare-root copper beeches with a height of 60 cm to 80 cm is enough for a 10 m long hedge and can be bought for a reasonable price of 130 to 150 euros. You can read more useful planting tips for an opaque copper beech hedge here:

  • Put roots or potted root balls in water before planting.
  • Measure the hedge and mark it with stretched strings for a straight alignment.
  • Dig a spacious planting trench and sprinkle the bottom with a soil activator.
  • Cut off damaged, dead roots on bare-root goods.
  • Pull apart or lightly score the root ball on unpotted container goods.
  • Planting spacing: 3 to 4 specimens per linear meter (potted goods), 4 to 6 specimens per meter (rooted goods).
  • Planting pruning: cut back bare-rooted bushes by a third for strong branching.

Extra tip: Copper beech roots can lift coverings and damage walls. The use of a rhizome barrier is recommended when planting a copper beech hedge.

Planting copper beech as a tree – short instructions

In your local tree nursery you can buy a ready-to-plant copper beech as a standard tree with wire bales. If planted correctly, the tree is protected against wind throw, drought stress and other problems in the early growth phase. This is how you properly plant a purple beech as a specimen tree:

  1. Dig a planting pit with twice the root ball volume.
  2. Recommended: Line the pit with a root barrier.
  3. Mix one third of the excavated material with horn shavings and compost.
  4. Place the copper beech tree in the middle of the pit and open the bale cloth.
  5. Drive in a support post or tripod and connect it to the trunk.
  6. Fill in the excavated material and tamp it down.
  7. Form a casting ring from the remaining excavation and water the tree generously.

As a solitary tree, the copper beech forms a sprawling crown with a diameter of 10 to 20 meters over the years. For this reason, a minimum distance of 5 to 10 meters from the property line is recommended.

Excursus

Common beech copper beech difference

The most important difference between copper beech and copper beech is the leaf color. A common beech (Fagus sylvatica) has shiny dark green leaves with light green underneath and pale yellow, later orange-red autumn color. The name refers to the reddish colored wood. In contrast, copper beech leaves (Fagus sylvatica f. purpurea) impress with their intense red color. Over the course of the summer, the red pigment (anthocyanins) gradually breaks down and the leaves take on a reddish-green to dark green color. The leaves say goodbye to winter rest with a yellow-orange-brown autumn color.

Care for copper beech trees

The copper beech is very easy to care for. The focus is on pruning care. All other measures follow this. Traditionally, purple beeches are propagated in hobby gardens by sowing or cuttings. The best care tips for Fagus sylvatica purpurea to read:

Cutting copper beech hedges

The copper beech hedge is just as compatible with pruning as a classic beech hedge. The hedge trimmer is used twice a year to ensure dense bushy growth. Read these tips about timing and cutting:

  • Pruning dates: in late winter (mid/end of February) and summer (end of June/beginning of July).
  • Important: Check the hedge for wild animals before each cut in order to reschedule the appointment if necessary.
  • Cutting circumference: cut back the growth by half since the last cut.
  • Cutting guide: move the hedge trimmer along the sides from bottom to top, cut the hedge crown horizontally.
  • Hedge shape: Cut copper beech hedges into a trapezoid shape with a wide base and narrow crown.

Purple beech hedges also sprout from old wood. This circumstance allows a radical rejuvenation cut between November and February. A step-by-step approach supports regeneration. In the first winter, focus on one long side and one side. In the second winter, trim the opposite side and flank of the hedge.

Cutting solitary tree

As a free-standing solitary tree, the copper beech develops an oval to rounded, finely branched crown. An occasional maintenance and thinning cut is beneficial for light-flooded, dense growth. How to cut a purple beech correctly:

  1. Prune copper beech every 3 to 4 years.
  2. The best time is in February, shortly before budding.
  3. Sawing off dead wood on a branch.
  4. Cut off unfavorable branches that grow into the inside of the crown and are too long (do not leave stubs).
  5. Branches that protrude or hang heavily from the crown shape are referred to a side shoot.

The pruning of mighty, old copper beeches is a case for the competent tree care specialist, as the following video demonstrates:

Video: Copper beech giant receives a shape and thinning cut

Pouring

Drought stress is the most common cause when a copper beech does not grow as a hedge or tree. In later years, the richly branched cardiac root system provides water supply. How to properly water a purple beech tree:

  • Water abundantly and regularly in the first few weeks after planting.
  • Previous finger test avoids the formation of waterlogging.
  • Water well-rooted hedge plants and trees only when it is dry in summer.
  • As irrigation water, run normal tap water directly onto the root disc.

Fertilize

Wake the copper beech tree out of hibernation with starter fertilization in March. Sprinkle 3 to 5 liters of compost per square meter onto the tree disc. Work the organic fertilizer between the roots near the surface and water again.

Propagate – sow beechnuts

For propagation by sowing you need the beechnuts of a copper beech. The triangular, egg-shaped, 1.5 cm long nuts sit in pairs in spiny fruit capsules. The seeds are cold germinators. This is how you sow beechnuts correctly:

  1. Store beechnuts in a plastic box or bag with sand in the refrigerator for 8 weeks.
  2. After the cold phase, sow in pots with moist potting soil.
  3. Water sparingly and do not fertilize on the partially shaded windowsill.

Propagate – take cuttings

The best time to propagate a copper beech through cuttings is in early summer. This procedure has proven itself in the hobby garden:

  1. Cut off 10 cm to 15 cm long, half-woody shoot tips (cutting point under a leaf or eye).
  2. Defoliate the lower half of the cuttings.
  3. Plant 2/3 of each cutting in a partially shaded propagation bed or a pot with potting soil.
  4. Watere regularly until the planting season begins in autumn, fertilize with compost from a height of 30 cm.

Popular varieties

These beautiful, garden-friendly copper beech varieties can be discovered in the tree nursery:

  • Dawyck Purple: Columnar copper beech, deep red leaf shoots, purple-brown summer foliage, height 8-15 m, growth width 1, 20-3 m.
  • Purple Fountain: Weeping copper beech with hanging branches, black-red leaves and yellow-reddish-brown autumn color, growth height 4-8 m, growth width 2-4 m
  • Purpurea Pendula: black-red silver beech, representative solitary tree for the front garden, height 2, 50-5 m.
  • Fagus sylvatica Atropunicea: refined copper beech, high arched crown, foliage color dark red to black red, height up to 25 m.
  • Fagus sylvatica Atropurpurea: Premium variety with dark red leaf color, easy to cut for use as a house tree or hedge plant.

FAQ

What is the name of the beech tree with red leaves?

The beautiful beech with red leaves is called copper beech (Fagus sylvatica f. purpurea). As a genetic variant of the green-leaved common beech (Fagus sylvatica), the copper beech has deep red foliage and is also called the purple beech. The phenomenal leaf color is due to a missing enzyme that breaks down the red pigment anthocyanin in other beech trees immediately after budding.

When is the best time to plant a copper beech hedge?

The best time to plant a copper beech hedge is in autumn. In the tree nursery, the hedge plants stand in a field and wait for the perfect harvest time after the leaves have fallen. Copper beeches and other hedge plants should only be transplanted when they are dormant in winter, otherwise they will not grow well. The knowledgeable nurseryman therefore waits to harvest until the leaves change color and fall off.

Can I plant a copper beech as a solitary tree in summer?

You can plant a copper beech in containers or pots at any time of the year. In order for the tree to grow well, the ground must not be frozen or completely dry. The optimal planting date is during the leafless period between mid-October and early/mid-April. If planting outside this time window, an adequate water supply is strongly recommended.

We would like to transplant a 5 year old copper beech hedge. Is that possible?

You can transplant a copper beech hedge within the first five years of existence. So that the hedge plants can cope with the change of location, choose a date during the leafless season. Prepare a planting trench with fresh compost at the new location. Because a large amount of root mass is lost when transplanting, cut the copper beech hedge back by half.

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