Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Tree
Tree
Origin
Europe
Southeastern United States, Mexico, Caribbean, Central America
Types
-
Guaiacum officinale
Number of Varieties
153
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Temperate Regions
Coastal Regions, Dry and Young forest Heaths, Thickets, Woodlands
USDA Hardiness Zone
4-710-15
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
9-4
12-10
Sunset Zone
A3, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
H1, H2
Habit
Oval or Rounded
Oval or Rounded
Plant Size
Minimum Height
1,830.00 cm300.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
1,070.00 cm370.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow green
Purple, Violet, Blue Violet
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Brown
Yellow, Red
Leaf Color in Spring
Lime Green, Sea Green
Green, Olive
Leaf Color in Summer
Dark Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Gold, Copper, Bronze
Green, Olive
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Olive
Shape
Leaf Shape
Elliptic and Ovate
Egg-shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Slow
Very Slow
Type of Soil
Loam
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Spring, Spring
Early Spring, Spring, Late Winter, Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought, Salt
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Transplanting
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs
Requires watering in the growing season
In Summer
Lots of watering
Consistently
In Spring
Moderate
Average Water
In Winter
Average Water
Moderate
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Prune to stimulate growth
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Fertilize three times a year
Pests and Diseases
Beech tarcrust
fungus, Mealybugs, Scale, Spider mites
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought, Salt
Flowers
Insignificant
Showy
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Medium
Fine
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Birds
Birds, Butterflies
Allergy
Mildly Toxic
Skin irritation
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
-
Part of Plant Used
Bark, Tree trunks
Bark, Sap
Other Uses
Making chairs to parquetry (flooring) and staircases
used for making roof trusses, poles, joists, piles, Used in construction, Used in Furniture
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Feature Plant, Shade Trees
Container, Feature Plant, Foundation, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall, Tropical
Botanical Name
Fagus sylvatica
GUAIACUM sanctum
Common Name
Copper Beech, European Beech, Purple Beech
Holy-wood, Lignum Vitae
In Hindi
Copper Beech
Lignum Vitae
In German
Copper Beech
Lignum Vitae
In French
Hêtre pourpre
Lignum Vitae
In Spanish
Copper Beech
Palo santo
In Greek
Copper Beech
Lignum Vitae
In Portuguese
Copper Beech
pau-santo
In Polish
Czerwony buk
Lignum Vitae
In Latin
Copper Beech
lignum Vitae
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Fagales
Sapindales
Family
Fagaceae
Zygophyllaceae
Genus
Fagus
Guaiacum
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
-
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
133
1
27800
👆🏻