Fagus sylvatica Riversii - Beech

The Fagus sylvatica 'Riversii' is one of the most beautiful varieties of purple beech on the market! Its oval, glossy leaves are larger than those of the species and are a deep purple red, almost violet, with very good colour retention, occasionally turning purple green in summer. It is a deciduous tree of large size with a majestic, conical and wide habit, rounding with age. In winter, the smooth, silver-grey bark of its branches and straight trunk stands out against the more warm copper tones of its marcescent foliage and reflects light beautifully. Indigenous and robust, this variety nevertheless requires space, light and freshness in the soil to thrive. Give it a place in the middle of a large meadow to admire its structure and intense colouration, or incorporate it into countryside hedges.

The Fagus sylvatica 'Riversii' is quite an imposing tree if it grows freely. Ultimately, it can reach 15 to 20 metres (49 feet 2 inches to 65 feet 7 inches) in height and 5 to 10 metres (16 feet 5 inches to 32 feet, 10 inches) in width and can live a very long time. Its cylindrical trunk is covered with smooth, light grey bark. Its ancestor is native to central Europe and the Caucasus, and it is one of the most common species in European forests, covering 10% of forests. Its reddish wood is used in cabinet-making and for the production of wooden tools and toys, as well as firewood.

The 'Riversii' form is one of the best varieties with purple foliage. Its growth is quite slow compared to that of the species. Its foliage is very dense, composed of leaves arranged alternately on the branches, oval in shape, larger, measuring up to 12 cm (4.7 in) long, a deep purple red, almost violet. They take on a decorative coppery colour in autumn. These leaves are marcescent, meaning they dry out while remaining on the tree and only fall to the ground in late winter, just before the arrival of new leaves.

The flowers appear almost at the same time as the leaves. From April to May, monoecious flowers appear. Male yellow flowers are grouped into pendulous aments measuring 40 to 60 mm (1.6 to 2.4 in). The female green flowers are grouped in pairs to fours at the ends of the branches. The tree produces fruits called beechnuts, shiny brown in colour, covered with prickles. These fruits, 12 to 18 mm (0.5 to 0.7 in) long, are edible in small quantities. Mountain people used to use them to make flour.

A magnificent specimen to be planted in a large garden, the purple beech is not suitable for small spaces. It thrives particularly well in fresh but not too damp, well-drained soils, even limestone and preferably rich in humus. However, it can be trained as a topiary to reduce its size, or cultivated as a bonsai.