1950 ARBOKKTUM AND FHUTICETUM. PART III. 



A. Cupule viuricate, capsulifurm. Ovariea iiic/itded. Young leaves i^Ucatc. 

 Natives of Europe, and of North and South America. 



a. Species in Cultivation in British Gardens. 

 t \. F. sylva'tica L. The Wood, or common. Beech. 



Identification. Lin. Sp. PI., 1416.; Hort. ClifT., 447.; Fl. Suec, 785. 871. ; Roy. Lugdb., 79. ; Mat. 



Med., 203. : Du Roi Harbk., 1. p. 2U3. ; Pollich. Pall., No. 910. ; Willd. Arb., 113. ; Willd. .Sp. PI., 



4 p 4.69.; Hoflm. Germ,, 339. ; Roth.Germ., 1. p. 409., 2. p. 489 ; Pall. Ross., 2. p. 5. ; Vill. Dauph., 



3 p. 796. ; N. Du Ham., 2. p. 79. ; Br. Fl., 1. p. 408. ; Eng. Bot., t. 1846 ; Eng. Fl., 4. p. 152. ; 



Hook. Br. Fl., ed. 3., p. 411. ; Mackay Fl. Hiberii., p. 2.54. ; Li)idl. Synop., p. 239. 

 Synontftnes. Castanea Fagus Scop. Cam., No. 1188.; Fagus Bauh. Pin., 419, Cant. Kpit., 112., 



Maith., 205., Dod., 8.52., Ger., 1255., Ocr. Ejiiac, 1444., Park. Thcat., 1403., Bauh. Hist., 1. 



p. 118. liaii Hist, 1381., Syiiov., 439.; F. sylvestris Mich.r. N. Amer., 3. t. 107., Oxya, Greek; 



Fagus, Lat. ; Hetre commun, Fr. ; gemeine Buche, Gcr. ; Rood-beuke, Dutch. 

 Engravings. Eng. Bot., t 1846. ; N. Du Ham., t. 24. ; and the plate of this tree in our last Volume. 



Spec. Char., ^c. Leaves ovate, glabrous, obsoletely dentate ; ciliate on their 

 margins. (Willd.) A tree, varying from GO ft. to 100 ft. in heiglit; wild in 

 various parts of Europe; and one variety in North America. 



Varieties. 



$ F. s. 2pnr}mrca Ait. Hort. Kew., v. p. 297.,Lodd. Cat.,ed. 1836; F. 

 s. 2 atro-riibens Du Roi ; Hetre noir Fr. ; the purple Beech ; has the 

 buds and young shoots of a rose colour. The leaves, when half-de- 

 veloped, are of a cherry red ; and, when fully matured, at midsummer, 

 of so dark a purple, as to appear almost black. It is to be observed 

 of this variety, that the bark, not only of the young shoots, but even 

 of the old wood, and of the trunk of the tree, partakes strongly of the 

 same dark colour as the leaves. In early spring, when the leaves of the 

 purple beech are agitated by the wind, during bright sunshine, their 

 clear red gives the tree the appearance of being on lire ; an effect, 

 Bosc observes, so truly magical, that it is scarcely credible by those 

 who have not seen it. The red or purple colour of this variety 

 varies in degree of intensity in different individuals ; partly from these 

 having been raised from seeds, and parti} from the influence of soil 

 and situation. The purple beech is a native of Germany, where it 

 was discovered by accident in a wood, according to some, between 

 the middle and the latter end of the last century ; and the original 

 tree is said to be still standing. From this tree all the purple beeches 

 in Europe have been produced; partly from seeds (see Gard. Mag., 

 vol.x. p. 180.), but chiefly by grafting. The seeds, in general, come 

 up tolerably true; though in some the shade of purple is very faint, 

 and in others the leaves are quite green. The different shades of 

 purple have given rise to several subvarieties, which are kept distinct 

 by some nurserymen ; but none that we have seen are worth notice, 

 except what is called the copper-coloured beech. In general, the 

 purple beech is propagated by budding or grafting on the common 

 beech ; but sometimes it is increased by layers, which require two 

 years to become properly rooted, and, it is said, never make such 

 vigorous trees as grafted ones ; doubtless, from the greater vigour of 

 the stock in the latter case. Michaux the younger informed Bosc 

 that there was a purple beech in Belgium which ripened seeds, and 

 that from these seeds several subvarieties had been produced, and, 

 among others, the copper beech, before mentioned. The largest 

 specimens of the purple beech are, probably, in Germany; though we 

 have not been able to hear of any on the Continent higher than 

 between 30 ft. and -iO ft., with the exception of two ; the one at 

 Harbke, in Brunswick, which, in 18.35, was 70 ft. high, with a trunk 

 2 ft. 6 in. in diameter, and had been planted upwards of 60 years. 

 It produces on an average, 20 lbs. of mast yearly, which sells at 2 

 dollars per lb. The other tree is near Antwerp, in the garden 

 of M. Smetz, at Deurne, and is thus described in Neill's Hor- 

 ticultural Tour, as seen by the Deputation of the Caledonian 



