''Nothofagus macrocarpa'', commonly known as roble de Santiago or Santiago's oak, is a

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

tree in the

Nothofagaceae ''Nothofagus'', also known as the southern beeches, is a genus of 43 species of trees and shrubs native to the Southern Hemisphere, found across southern South America (Chile, Argentina) and east and southeast Australia, New Zealand, New Guin ...

family that is endemic to the mountains of central Chile.

Description

''Nothofagus macrocarpa'' is a tree growing 4 to 10 meters tall. It has a stout trunk, either single or with two or three growing from the base. The bark is rough and grayish brown with longitudinal and transverse cracks. It has a leafy and densely-branched crown 3 to 5 meters wide. Leaves are bright green and wavy at the edges, typically oval, and measure 13 to 45 mm long by 7 to 23 mm wide.Ravenna, Pierfelice (2002). Nothofagus macrocarpa y Nothofagus rutila (Fagaceae), dos especies diferentes. ''Onira'' 2002, 7: 57–60.

Range and habitat

''Nothofagus macrocarpa'' grows at higher elevations of the Altos de Cantillana, in

Melipilla Province Melipilla Province () is one of six Provinces of Chile, provinces in the Santiago Metropolitan Region of central Chile. The provincial Capital (political), capital is the city of Melipilla. Administration As a province, Melipilla is a second-leve ...

southwest of

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

, at approximately 2,200 meters elevation. It is also found to the east in the Andes foothills of Cachapoal Province from 500 to 2,000 meters elevation. Populations on Cerro El Roble and other nearby mountains once identified as ''N. macrocarpa'' were reclassified in 2000 as a distinct species, '' Nothofagus rutila''.

Classification

It is sometimes regarded as a subspecies of '' Nothofagus obliqua''. In 2013 Heenan and Smissen proposed renaming ''N. macrocarpa'' to ''Lophozonia macrocarpa''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q6045626 Nothofagaceae Flora of central Chile Ornamental trees Fagales of Chile Flora of the Chilean Matorral