Flowers:
Green (Yellowish-green monoecious catkins; not ornamentally important)
Foliage:
Green (Handsome, deep green foliage that emerges late in the spring); Bronze (Golden-bronze fall foliage that persists into winter)
Fruit:
Brown (Three winged nut is edible)
Soil:
Prefers acidic soil, some soil moisture and good drainage to perform best; does not tolerate wet and clay soils
Diagnostic Characteristics:
Leaves simple, alternate, 2-4" long, entire, undulate, acute apex, lustrous dark green above and light green beneath, glabrous at maturity, silky when young. Foliage with wavy, entire margins (F. grandifolia has coarsely serrate margins). Petioles can be downy. Buds are long. Slender, pointed with many scales. Fruit is 3-sided nut in prickly husks that ripen in October. Smooth, gray bark that appears wrinkled in some areas, resembling an elephant's hide.
