This well-known British tree is raised in thousands annually from seeds, and is used for hedges and timber. There are numerous varieties, including the purple-leaved ones, atro-purpurea, purpurea, and Handsworthiana; the golden and silver variegated forms, aureo-variegata and argenteo-variegata; cuprea, copper-coloured foliage; heterophylla (incisa, asplenifolia), with deeply cut Fernlike leaves; macrophylla, large leaved; and others. These special varieties are grafted on stocks of the common Beech under glass or in the open.