Nothofagus betuloides

Nothofagus betuloides
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Fagales
Family: Nothofagaceae
Genus: Nothofagus
Species: N. betuloides
Binomial name
Nothofagus betuloides
(Mirb.) Oerst.
Synonyms[1]
  • Betula antarctica G.Forst.
  • Calusparassus betuloides (Mirb.) Hombr. & Jacquinot ex Decne.
  • Calusparassus forsteri (Hook.) Hombr. & Jacquinot ex Decne.
  • Fagus betuloides Mirb.
  • Fagus dubia Mirb.
  • Fagus forsteri Hook.
  • Nothofagus betuloides (Mirb.) Blume
  • Nothofagus dubia (Mirb.) Oerst.
  • Nothofagus dubia (Mirb.) Blume
  • Nothofagus forsteri (Hook.) Krasser
  • Nothofagus patagonica Gand.
Illustration from specimens collected by the Endeavour, Tierra del Fuego, 1769

Nothofagus betuloides, Magellan's beech or guindo, is native to southern Patagonia.

In 1769 Sir Joseph Banks collected a specimen of the tree in Tierra del Fuego during Captain Cook's first voyage.[2]

Distribution

Nothofagus betuloides grows from southern Chile and southern Argentina (40°S) to Tierra del Fuego (56°S). It is found from sea level to 500 m (1,600 ft).

Description

It is an evergreen tree up to 25 m (82 ft) with a columnar appearance. In its natural environment it tolerates cold winters and absence of heat in summer. Specimens from the southern forests resist temperatures down to −20 °C (−4 °F).

Cultivation

It succeeds in Scotland. Trees planted in the Faroe Islands, which were imported directly from its southernmost distribution in Tierra del Fuego, have turned out to be very hardy.[3]

The wood has beautiful marks, is pinkish, hard and semi-heavy, and is used in furniture and construction.

References

  1. ↑ "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species".
  2. ↑ Kew gardens, or A popular guide to the Royal Botanic Gardens of Kew by Sir W.J. Hooker
  3. ↑ Højgaard, A., J. Jóhansen, and S. Ødum (eds) 1989. A century of tree planting in the Faroe Islands. Føroya Frodskaparfelag, Torshavn.