Fagus sylvatica Rohan Minaret

Fagus sylvatica ‘Rohan Minaret’ is a selection of Purple Beech that forms a beautiful column dressed in colourful and changing foliage over time. With a slower growth than other varieties of beech with a columnar habit, it is particularly interesting for smaller gardens. Its well-filled, lobed and wavy foliage changes from copper to green and then to purple-brown. In autumn, it takes on a beautiful purplish hue before drying out. Its smooth, silver-grey bark, is an additional asset visible during winter.

The beech tree, known as Fagus sylvatica in Latin, is an imposing tree with a spreading habit. Its cylindrical trunk is covered with smooth, light grey bark. This tree can live for several centuries. Native to central Europe to the Caucasus, it is one of the most common species in European forests. Its reddish wood is used in cabinetmaking and for the production of wooden tools and toys, as well as firewood. It can reach a height of 20m at maturity.
The cultivar ‘Rohan Minaret’ has a fastigiate habit. Its straight trunk is adorned with almost vertical branches. After many years, the tree will reach approximately 4m in height with a spread of 1m. Its foliage is composed of alternate leaves with lobed and undulate edges, resembling oak leaves. They appear in spring before those of the common beech. Copper-coloured when they bud, they turn green and then dark purple in summer. Their burgundy-purple colour in autumn is magnificent. They are marcescent, which means the leaves dry out while remaining on the tree until the following spring when the new leaves appear. The flowers appear almost at the same time as the leaves. From April to May, barely visible, monoecious cream-coloured flowers appear. The male flowers are grouped in pendulous catkins. The female flowers are grouped in 2 to 4 at the ends of the branches. Mature trees produce fruits called beech nuts, which are shiny brown and covered in bristly prickles. These fruits are edible in small quantities. They were formerly used by mountain dwellers to make flour.

Fagus sylvatica ‘Rohan Minaret’ is a very hardy tree that prefers cool and temperate climates. The soil should be rich in humus, well-drained, and slightly moist in summer, as it does not tolerate drought. It can be planted as a hedge to create a colourful windbreak or as an elegant standalone specimen. A variegated periwinkle or golden-leaved Japanese grass can be planted at its base, for example. It can also be integrated into a mass planting of ground-covering shrubs with lighter foliage, which it will tower over without smothering: border roses, prostrate rockery conifers... Its base can also accommodate bergenia plants. Thanks to its modest size, it is suitable for small gardens.