Date Planted: 1998

Family: Fagaceae

Hardiness: Hardy in the Gorham, ME area; Zone 4-7

Mature Dimensions: 40-60' tall, 30-40' wide

Habit: Densely pyramidal, with low branches

Bark: Smooth, gray, rough-textured

Buds: ¾-1" long, ¼ inch wide; overlapping scales, sharply pointed at apex

Leaves: Simple, opposite, rounded, with entire margins; 3-4 inches long, 2-3 inches wide. Blackish purple emerging leaves mature to a lustrous maroon color that persists through the season; aging to brown in autumn and persisting

Flowers: Monoecious; appear in May with leaf emergence; males are globose, females are in clustered spikes

Fruit: Triangular nut ½ inch long, enclosed in pairs in 1" long 4-lobed bristled husk; borne singly on pedicel

Pests/Disease: Virtually pest-free and problem-free

Reference Pages: Dirr M. 1998. Manual of Woody Landscape Plants. Stipes Publishing Co., Champaign, IL.