The Dawes Arboretum

Common name: interrupted purple European beech

Family: Fagaceae (beech family)

Synonym: Fagus sylvatica (Atropunicea Group) 'Interrupta Purpurea'

Distribution: Species native to Europe

Hardiness: USDA Zone 4

Life form: Deciduous tree

Comments: There's no finer specimen tree than a well-grown European beech. This selection has dark purple leaves, deeply dissected, dividing the leaf into several sections. The bark is smooth, gray and wrinkled on older trees with a picturesque, oval rounded habit. About 30' tall and 20' wide can be expected in 30 years. Fall color is golden bronze.