Fagus sylvatica Silbertaler

Fagus sylvatica 'Silbertaler' is a variegated beech with a modest size and slow growth, rarely available for sale. Its elegant foliage is composed of leaves irregularly bordered with cream-white to very pale yellow, which can withstand the sun, unlike many other variegated varieties. Its autumn colours and smooth grey bark are also attractive. A small tree for collectors, easy to grow in cool or cold climates, and a beautiful addition to any garden.

Fagus sylvatica, commonly known as beech, is a deciduous tree species native to Europe and belongs to the Fagaceae family, along with oak and chestnut trees. It is one of the main forest species in temperate Europe. It can be found in pure beech forests and mixed with other species in leafy forests, primarily with European oak or in mixed forests with silver fir or Norway spruce. It is an indicator of a humid temperate climate. Foresters use it for high-quality timber production, furniture, and, in mountainous areas, as firewood. In spring, from April to May, it has relatively insignificant flowers. The pale yellow male flowers of the common beech are gathered in pendulous catkins measuring 40 to 60 mm, while the green female flowers are grouped in 2 to 4 at the ends of the branches. In autumn, the beech nuts, the fruits of the beech tree, start to appear in the form of woody husks covered in bristly spikes.
Fagus sylvatica 'Silbertaler' was discovered by G. Escherich in 1993. This variety forms a small tree with a straight trunk and a conical to oval crown when young, spreading slightly as it ages. It has a slow growth rate, reaching approximately 4 m in height and 3 m in width at 20 years old. The branches are smooth and greyish. The leaves are alternate, petiolate, broadly ovate, medium-sized for a beech tree, and wavy on the leaf edge. Many leaves are variegated, but some may be completely green. The variegated leaves have more or less cream-white margins, sometimes yellow cream. In autumn, the foliage turns yellowish-brown and remains on the tree during winter, only falling when new leaves appear.

This variegated beech is highly resistant to cold, down to at least -25°C. Its foliage adds a touch of elegance and light to the landscape. It can be planted as a specimen tree in a small garden or in an informal hedge. It will create a multicoloured and ever-changing scene when paired with beautiful shrubs such as the White Horse Chestnut, which produces plume-like white panicles in late summer, Crotonifolia Aucuba with its beautifully variegated foliage even in winter, or the Superba Barberry with its deciduous purple-violet foliage, for example.