Copper beech
Copper beech, also known as purple beech, is a cultivated form of common beech (although copper-coloured beech trees are also sometimes found in nature). It grows to a height of more than 40m. The bark is smooth, thin and grey, often with slight horizontal etchings. Twigs are slender and grey but not straight – their shape resembles a zig-zag. Torpedo-shaped leaf buds are coppery and up to 2cm in length, with a distinctive criss-cross pattern.
Look out for: the red to purple leaves which mark a clear difference in comparison to common beech.
Identified in winter by: its sharply pointed buds, a feature it shares with common beech.
