A beautiful tree but rarely available. Leaves are slightly longer and thinner tha t the more common European Beech, and are more coarsely toothed and deeply veined. Altogether a more attractive character than European Beech. These will develop into lovely trees for bonsai. Bark is smooth gray, eventually breaking into small pieces.
Leaves have unusual veination - the veins follow the leaf edges.
Trees have thorns and eventually have light gray smooth bark that breaks up into plates with age. Smooth bark with good, spreading roots. Leaves turn brown in fall and stay on trees all winter for interesting character. They have a nice smooth gray bark that gives a good impression of strength to the trees. This tree is native to southern Chile, and has leaves much like a small hornbeam.