Fagus sylvatica Marmor Star

Fagus sylvatica 'Marmor Star', also known as Variegated Beech, is a tree with moderate growth, making it suitable for even small gardens. Its colourful foliage and balanced silhouette provide a unique and decorative spectacle all year round. The first green leaves in spring are replaced, during a second growth, by leaves heavily variegated with cream white. This very bright foliage turns yellow-brown in autumn, and then brownish to persist throughout the winter on the tree, this is called marcescent foliage. With a long lifespan, it needs to be placed in a suitable location to thrive as a beautiful specimen, with low demands.

Fagus sylvatica, commonly known as European beech, is a deciduous tree species native to Europe and belongs to the Fagaceae family, like oak and chestnut. It is one of the main forest species of deciduous forests in Europe. It is found in pure beech forests and, more often, with other species in broadleaf forests, mainly with Pedunculate oak or in mixed forests with silver fir or common spruce. It is an indication of a humid temperate climate. Foresters use it to produce timber for furniture and, in mountain areas, for firewood.

The 'Marmor Star' variety, whose origin is somewhat unknown, was allegedly found in Germany and is believed to be a seedling of Fagus sylvatica 'Marmorata'. With a long lifespan, it forms a small, dense and branched tree with a spreading habit and a rounded crown. It grows relatively slowly, reaching a height of 3 to 4 m after 10 years, and a height of 6 to 8 m with a spread of 3 to 5 m at maturity. The young branches are reddish and the bark is smooth and greyish. The leaves are alternate, petiolate, 4 to 8 cm long, wavy along the leaf edge. The first leaves in spring are almost entirely green, and it is during the second flush of leaves that they become variegated with cream-white. In autumn, the foliage takes on yellow-brownish shades and remains on the tree throughout winter until the new leaves appear. Insignificant flowers appear in spring, around April-May. The male flowers, grouped in pendulous catkins of 40 to 60 mm, are pale yellow, while the green female flowers are grouped in pairs or clusters of 2 to 4 at the ends of the branches. In autumn, beech nuts, which are the fruits of the beech tree, start to appear in the form of remarkable prickly woody husks.

The Variegated Beech is a robust tree variety resistant to winter cold (down to -30°C). Its elegant silhouette and colourful foliage bring a touch of originality to your landscape. It can adapt to small gardens and can be planted individually or in groups, providing filtered shade or adding colour and light to the garden. It adapts to slightly acidic to alkaline soils, deep, well-drained, and rich in humus. A sunny exposure is preferable, although it can tolerate slightly shaded areas. Be cautious, as it is sensitive to stagnant water and drought conditions, with leaves getting scorched in high heat. Its shallow root system excludes any planting at its base.