I have recently been looking to plant a Beech tree with future generations in mind. My preference would be for a beech that displays bright red foliage in autumn. Whilst searching I have come across references to both purple and copper beech trees (Fagus Sylvatica Purpurea/Cuprea Respectively) Are these simply different names for the same thing or is there a distinction?
Good morning Ben and welcome to the forum, you are right in that Cuprea is a synonym. It is one of those very annoying things in the plant world, too many names for the same tree.
Dirr says some see in difference in leaf colour, but OSU does synonymize the names. I suspect they are distinct entities in places that have kept the lineages separate, but that there is name confusion elsewhere where a mistake was made...: Fagus sylvatica 'Purpurea' | Landscape Plants | Oregon State University
There's dozens of named Copper Beech cultivars; they all - like the wild green species type - turn more-or-less the same orange-brown in autumn. Personally, I'd go for the natural green one, as the copper/purple ones suck all the light out of their surrounds in summer. Of Copper Beech, Mitchell (Field Guide to the Trees of Britain and Northern Europe) says: He is of course, completely right ツ
