an unparalleled view across the Hudson River to the
Palisades, Wave Hill has a storied past, including notable
occupants such as Theodore Roosevelt and Mark Twain.
The latter said of the estate: "I believe we have the
noblest roaring blasts here I have ever known on land;
they sing their hoarse song through the big tree-tops
with a splendid energy that thrills me and stirs me
and uplifts me and makes me want to live always."
Copper might be a slight mischaracterization for the
hue of the tree's leaves, which can change over the
course of a season from a reddish purple in spring to
blackish purple by summer. The deciduous, simple leaf
is elliptic and blunt, appearing wavy, with five to nine
veins on each side. Each copper beech presents itself
slightly differently in color and shape. When I visited
Wave Hill's copper beeches recently they were really
more full forest green with only a slight metallic tinge.
As for those "knees," the older trunks have bulges
and burls that are quite unlike any other tree, with a
silvery grey bark. (Beech lover Dirr writes of "a beauty
unmatched by the bark of other trees.") Something
about that bark begs for carved personal nomenclature.
At Wave Hill, the trunk of one tree has been pretty well
graffiti-gouged, while the other cousin is pristine.
A mysterious ailment known as Beech Leaf Disease
has begun to prey on Fagus. The damage starts with
a dark staining of the leaves and leads to their shriv-
eling and eventually tree death; so far it has been
recorded in Ohio and Pennsylvania and parts of
Ontario, Canada. Another affliction, Beech Bark
Disease, caused by a sap-feeding scale and a fungus,
has already killed 2.5 million beech trees. "Three on
the north half of Wave Hill have succumbed to beech
bark disease in the past fifteen years," says Bauer.
For flowers, copper beech offers a small female cluster
and a male cluster that hangs on a shorter stem than
that of the American beech. The nut has long, angular
sides and a deep brown color, encased in a bristly husk.
Beech nuts can be consumed by deer and bears as well
as by birds and rodents—and by humans, who have been
known to roast and brew them in place of coffee. A
nice place to drink a cup would be under the sweeping,
twisted, copper-colored branches of an "Elephant Tree."
Ghost of Mark Twain, you are cordially invited.
40 CityTREES
The other Wave Hill "cousin"; this one didn't
escape graffiti. Photo by Jean Zimmerman
Copper beech nuts. Photo courtesy
of Missouri Botanical Garden
Copper beech leaf in early summer and again in late
summer. Photos by Michelle Sutton/Jean Zimmerman
