ARBORETUM NOTES. Loe 
CUPULIPE REA; 
FAGUS SYLVATICA. Var. Purpurea. 
Loudon, v. 3, 1950. 
A number of purple Beeches, planted by my 
father in various places about the grounds here, 
at different times since 1822, have thriven very 
well, and are now very ornamental, though none 
have grown to any remarkable size. The delicate 
light red colour of the foliage in spring and its 
feep purple im the full summer, produce a 
beautiful effect, mixed and contrasted with the 
varied greens of other trees. My father was very 
attentive to these effects in choosing sites for 
planting the purple Beech; and his care has been 
very successful. At the end of summer and 
in the early autumn—for some little time before 
they begin to turn yellow,—the leaves of this 
variety almost entirely lose their purple colour, 
and change to a dark dusky-green. This is 
striking in a tree growing at the north-west corner 
of the Vicarage Grove, which 1s full in view from 
the house, and which throughout the spring and 
ereater part of the summer, is very conspicuous 
by the contrast of its colouring with the various 
ereens of the neighbouring trees; but for a short 
time at the end of summer and beginning of 
autumn it is hardly to be distinguished from 
the rest of the grove. In the regular autumnal 
change, the yellow or golden-tawny colour ac- 
quired by the leaves of the purple Beech, is even 
Fagus 
sylvatica 
var. purpurea 
