Purple (Handsome foliage emerges a deep purple in the spring, fading moderately during the course of the summer); Bronze (Golden-bronze fall foliage that persists into winter)

Fruit:

Brown (Three winged nut is edible)

Ultimate Height:

50 feet

Ultimate Spread:

40 feet

Light Requirements:

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, emerge an intense deep purple (paler beneath), may fade to purple-green by end of summer, glabrous at maturity, silky when young. Petioles can be downy. Buds are long, slender, and 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.

Special Characteristics:

Additional Information

In a proper site, an excellent trouble-free shade tree with year-round interest. More adaptable to hot, dry conditions than our native F. grandifolia, but somewhat less hardy. F. grandifolia is preferred in Zone 4. Like F. grandifolia, this tree is so shallow rooted and casts such heavy shade that grass does not grow well beneath it. Low branching habit is a concern for use in the tree lawn as a street tree (may require more pruning than other street trees). The cultivar 'Riversii' has attractive foliage that emerges an intense deep purple and is reported to hold this color longer into the summer than other purple-leaf cultivars, such as 'Purpurea'.