Nothofagus range including New Caledonia

''Nothofagus'', also known as the southern beeches, is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of 43

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...

s and

shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

s native to the Southern Hemisphere, found across southern South America (Chile, Argentina) and east and southeast Australia, New Zealand,

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

, and

New Caledonia New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...

. The species are ecological dominants in many temperate forests in these regions. Some species are reportedly naturalised in Germany and Great Britain.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> The genus has a rich fossil record of leaves, cupules, and pollen, with fossils extending into the late Cretaceous period and occurring in Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica, and South America.

Description

The

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

are toothed or entire,

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...

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 ...

. The

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...

is a small, flattened or triangular

nut Nut often refers to: * Nut (fruit), fruit composed of a hard shell and a seed * Nut (food), a dry and edible fruit or seed, including but not limited to true nuts * Nut (hardware), fastener used with a bolt Nut, NUT or Nuts may also refer to: A ...

, borne in cupules containing one to seven nuts.

Reproduction

Many individual trees are extremely old, and at one time, some populations were thought to be unable to reproduce in present-day conditions where they were growing, except by suckering (

clonal reproduction Cloning is the process of producing individual organisms with identical genomes, either by natural or artificial means. In nature, some organisms produce clones through asexual reproduction; this reproduction of an organism by itself without ...

), being remnant forest from a cooler time.

Sexual reproduction Sexual reproduction is a type of reproduction that involves a complex life cycle in which a gamete ( haploid reproductive cells, such as a sperm or egg cell) with a single set of chromosomes combines with another gamete to produce a zygote tha ...

has since been shown to be possible.

Taxonomy

The genus ''Nothofagus'' was first formally described in 1850 by

Carl Ludwig Blume Charles Ludwig de Blume or Karl Ludwig von Blume (9 June 1796 – 3 February 1862) was a German-Dutch botanist and entomologist who spent most of his professional life in the Netherlands and the Dutch East Indies. As deputy director of agricul ...

who published the description in his book ''Museum botanicum Lugduno-Batavum, sive, Stirpium exoticarum novarum vel minus cognitarum ex vivis aut siccis brevis expositio et descriptio''. ''Nothofagus'' means "false beech", which Blume chose to indicate that ''Nothofagus'' species were different from beeches in the

Northern Hemisphere The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined by humans as being in the same celestial sphere, celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the Solar ...

. In the past, they were included in the family

Fagaceae The Fagaceae (; ) are a family of flowering plants that includes beeches, chestnuts and oaks, and comprises eight genera with around 1,000 or more species. Fagaceae in temperate regions are mostly deciduous, whereas in the tropics, many species ...

, but genetic tests revealed them to be genetically distinct, and they are now included in their own family, Nothofagaceae.

Species list

The following is a list of species, hybrids and varieties accepted by the

Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online taxonomic database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. History Following the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew launched Plants of the World Online i ...

as of April 2023: *''

Nothofagus aequilateralis ''Nothofagus aequilateralis'' is a species of tree in the family Nothofagaceae. It is endemic to New Caledonia New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located ...

'' ( Baum.-Bod.)

Steenis Cornelis Gijsbert Gerrit Jan van Steenis (31 October 1901 – 14 May 1986) was a Dutch botanist. Van Steenis wrote many publications on the flora of the Maritime Southeast Asia region, among others about taxonomy and plant geography. Beside ...

(New Caledonia) *''

Nothofagus alessandrii ''Nothofagus alessandrii'', commonly known as the ruil, is a species of plant in the family Nothofagaceae, it is also known as the southern beeches. It is endemic to Chile, occurring chiefly in the Chilean matorral ecoregion. It is threatened b ...

'' Espinosa (Central Chile) *''

Nothofagus alpina ''Nothofagus alpina'', also called raulí (in the Mapuche language) or raulí beech, is a species of plant in the Nothofagaceae family. A deciduous tree, it grows in Chile and Argentina, reaching 50 m (160 ft) in height and more than 2 ...

'' (

Poepp. Eduard Friedrich Poeppig (16 July 1798 – 4 September 1868) was a German botanist, zoologist and explorer. Biography Poeppig was born in Plauen, Saxony. He studied medicine and natural history at the University of Leipzig, graduating with a med ...

& Endl.) Oerst. (Argentina South, Chile Central, Chile South) *''

Nothofagus antarctica ''Nothofagus antarctica'' (''Antarctic beech''; in Spanish ''Ñire'' or ''Ñirre'') is a deciduous tree or shrub native to southern Chile and Argentina from about 36°S to Tierra del Fuego (56° S), where it grows mainly in the diminishing tempe ...

'' (

G.Forst. Johann George Adam Forster, also known as Georg Forster (; 27 November 1754 – 10 January 1794), was a German geographer, naturalist, ethnologist, travel writer, journalist and revolutionary. At an early age, he accompanied his father, Joha ...

) Oerst. (Argentina South, Chile Central, Chile South) *'' Nothofagus balansae'' ( Baill.) Steenis (New Caledonia) *'' Nothofagus baumanniae'' (Baum.-Bod.) Steenis (New Caledonia) *''

Nothofagus betuloides ''Nothofagus betuloides'', Magellan's beech or ''guindo'', is a tree native to southern Patagonia. In 1769, Joseph Banks, Sir Joseph Banks collected a botanical specimen, specimen of the tree in Tierra del Fuego during James Cook, Captain Cook's ...

'' ( Mirb.) Oerst. (Argentina South, Chile South) *'' Nothofagus brassii'' Steenis (New Guinea) *'' Nothofagus carrii'' Steenis (New Guinea) *''

Nothofagus cliffortioides ''Nothofagus cliffortioides'', commonly called mountain beech (), is a species of southern beech tree and is endemic to New Zealand. Mountain beech grows in mountainous regions at high elevations. In New Zealand the taxon is called ''Fuscospora ...

'' (

Hook.f. Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker (30 June 1817 – 10 December 1911) was a British botanist and explorer in the 19th century. He was a founder of geographical botany and Charles Darwin's closest friend. For 20 years he served as director of the Ro ...

) Oerst. (New Zealand North, New Zealand South) *'' Nothofagus codonandra'' (Hook.f.) Oerst. (New Caledonia) *'' Nothofagus crenata'' Steenis (New Guinea) *''

Nothofagus cunninghamii ''Nothofagus cunninghamii'', commonly known as myrtle beech or Tasmanian myrtle, is the dominant species of cool temperate rainforests in Tasmania and Southern Victoria. It has low fire resistance and grows best in partial shade conditions. It ...

'' (Hook.f.) Oerst. (Tasmania, Victoria) *'' Nothofagus discoidea'' (Baum.-Bod.) Steenis (New Caledonia) *''

Nothofagus dombeyi ''Nothofagus dombeyi'', Dombey's beech, coigue, coihue or coigüe (from Mapudungun ''koywe'') is a tree species native to southern Chile and the Andean parts of Argentine Patagonia. It is a fast-growing species that can live in a wide range o ...

'' (Mirb.) Oerst. (Argentina South, Chile Central, Chile South) *'' Nothofagus flaviramea'' Steenis (New Guinea) *''

Nothofagus fusca ''Nothofagus fusca'', commonly known as red beech (Māori: tawhai raunui) is a species of southern beech, endemic to New Zealand, occurring on both the North and South Island. It is generally found on lower hills and inland valley floors where s ...

'' (Hook.f.) Oerst. (New Zealand North, New Zealand South) *''

Nothofagus glauca ''Nothofagus glauca'', commonly known as hualo or roble Maulino, is a species of plant in the family Nothofagaceae. It is a deciduous tree endemic to Chile. It grows from 34° to 37° South latitude. It is a typical tree of the maritime mediterr ...

'' (

Phil. Rodolfo Amando (or Rudolph Amandus) Philippi (14 September 1808 – 23 July 1904) was a German–Chilean paleontologist and zoologist. Philippi contributed primarily to malacology and paleontology, but also published a major work on Diptera of C ...

) Krasser (Chile Central) *'' Nothofagus grandis'' Steenis (New Guinea) *'' Nothofagus gunnii'' (Hook.f.) Oerst. (Tasmania) *'' Nothofagus macrocarpa'' ( A.DC.) F.M.Vázquez & R.A.Rodr. (Chile Central) *''

Nothofagus menziesii ''Nothofagus menziesii'', commonly known as silver beech, is a species of evergreen tree in the family Nothofagaceae. It is endemic to New Zealand and is widespread in the North and South Islands. It reaches a height of up to tall, with a tr ...

'' (Hook.f.) Oerst. (New Zealand North, New Zealand South) *''

Nothofagus moorei ''Nothofagus moorei'', commonly known as Antarctic beech, is a species of flowering plant in the family Nothofagaceae that is endemic to high altitude areas of eastern Australia. It is a tree, with simple leathery, glossy, egg-shaped to lance-sh ...

'' (

F.Muell. Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (; 30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Victoria (state), Vic ...

) Krasser (New South Wales, Queensland) *''

Nothofagus nitida ''Nothofagus nitida'' (Chiloé's coigue) is an evergreen tree, native to southern Chile and Argentina. It is found from latitude 40° S to Última Esperanza ( 53° S). Description Up to 35 m (115 ft) height and 2 m (6.5 ft ...

'' (Phil.) Krasser (Chile South) *''

Nothofagus nuda ''Nothofagus nuda'' is a species of plant in the family Nothofagaceae. It is endemic to Papua New Guinea. It is threatened by habitat loss. ''N. nuda'' proposed to be renamed ''Trisyngyne nuda'' in 2013. Description ''Nothofagus nuda'' is a la ...

'' Steenis (New Guinea) *''

Nothofagus obliqua ''Nothofagus obliqua'', commonly known as Patagonian oak, ''roble'', ''pellín'', ''roble pellín'', and ''hualle'' in its early state of growth or roble beech, is a deciduous tree from Chile and Argentina. It grows from 33 to 43° south latitude ...

'' (Mirb.) Oerst. (Argentina South, Chile Central, Chile South) *''

Nothofagus perryi ''Nothofagus perryi'' is a species of tree in the family Nothofagaceae. It is endemic to Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern hal ...

'' Steenis (New Guinea) *'' Nothofagus pseudoresinosa'' Steenis (New Guinea) *'' Nothofagus pullei'' Steenis (New Guinea) *''

Nothofagus pumilio ''Nothofagus pumilio'', the lenga beech (from the Mapuche language), is a deciduous tree or shrub in the Nothofagaceae family that is native to the southern Andes range, in the temperate forests of Chile and Argentina to Tierra del Fuego, from 35 ...

'' (Poepp. & Endl.) Krasser (Argentina South, Chile Central, Chile South) *'' Nothofagus resinosa'' Steenis (New Guinea) *'' Nothofagus rubra'' Steenis (New Guinea) *'' Nothofagus rutila''

Ravenna Ravenna ( ; , also ; ) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire during the 5th century until its Fall of Rome, collapse in 476, after which ...

(Chile Central) *''

Nothofagus solandri ''Nothofagus solandri'', commonly known as black beech, is species of tree endemic to New Zealand. Black beech occurs on both the North and the South Island at low elevations up to the mountains. It is also known as ''Nothofagus solandri'' var. ...

'' (Hook.f.) Oerst. (New Zealand North, New Zealand South) *'' Nothofagus starkenborghiorum'' Steenis (Bismarck Archipelago, New Guinea) *'' Nothofagus stylosa'' Steenis (New Guinea) *'' Nothofagus truncata'' ( Colenso) Cockayne (New Zealand North, New Zealand South) *'' Nothofagus womersleyi'' Steenis (New Guinea) *''Nothofagus × apiculata'' (Colenso) Cockayne (New Zealand North, New Zealand South) *''Nothofagus × blairii''

Kirk Kirk is a Scottish and former Northern English word meaning 'church'. The term ''the Kirk'' is often used informally to refer specifically to the Church of Scotland, the Scottish national church that developed from the 16th-century Reformation ...

(New Zealand North, New Zealand South) *''Nothofagus × dodecaphleps'' Mike L.Grant & E.J.Clement (artificial hybrid) *''Nothofagus × eugenananus'' Gilland. (artificial hybrid) *''

Nothofagus × leoni ''Nothofagus'' × ''leoni'' is a hybrid tree in the family Nothofagaceae. It is a naturally-occurring interspecific hybrid of ''Nothofagus glauca'' and ''Nothofagus obliqua'' which is endemic to central Chile.Allan (New Zealand North)

Subgenera

Four subgenera are recognized, based on morphology and DNA analysis: * Subgenus ''Fuscospora'', six species (''N. alessandri, N. cliffortioides, N. fusca, N. gunnii, N. solandri'', and ''N. truncata'') in New Zealand, Tasmania, and southern South America. * Subgenus ''Lophozonia'', seven species (''N. alpina, N. cunninghamii, N. glauca, N. macrocarpa, N. menziesii, N. moorei'', and ''N. obliqua'') in New Zealand, Australia, and southern South America. * Subgenus ''Nothofagus'', five species (''N. antarctica, N. betuloides, N. dombeyi, N. nitida'', and ''N. pumilio'') in southern South America. * Subgenus ''Brassospora'' (or ''Trisyngyne''), 20 accepted species (''N. aequilateralis, N. balansae, N. baumanniae, N. brassii, N. carrii, N. codonandra, N. crenata, N. discoidea, N. flaviramea, N. grandis, N. nuda, N. perryi, N. pseudoresinosa, N, pullei, N. recurva, N. resinosa, N. rubra, N. starkenborghiorum, N. stylosa'', and ''N. womersleyi'') in New Guinea and New Caledonia. In 2013,

Peter Brian Heenan Peter Brian Heenan (born 1961) is a New Zealand botanist. Heenan has a 1984 diploma from Lincoln University, and graduated from the University of Canterbury with a PhD in 2000. In 2024, Heenan was awarded the Leonard Cockayne Memorial Lecture ...

and Rob D. Smissen proposed splitting the genus into four, turning the four recognized subgenera into the new genera ''Fuscospora'', ''Lophozonia'' and ''Trisyngyne'', with the five South American species of subgenus ''Nothofagus'' remaining in genus ''Nothofagus''. The proposed new genera are not accepted at the

World Checklist of Selected Plant Families The World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (usually abbreviated to WCSP) was an "international collaborative programme that provides the latest peer reviewed and published opinions on the accepted scientific names and synonyms of selected p ...

Extinct species

The following additional species are listed as extinct: *†'' Nothofagus australis'' (Argentina, Early Oligocene-Early Miocene) *†'' Nothofagus balfourensis'' (Tasmania, Late Oligocene-Early Miocene) *†'' Nothofagus beardmorensis'' (Antarctica, Late Pliocene) *†'' Nothofagus bulbosa'' (Tasmania, Early Oligocene) *†'' Nothofagus cethanica'' (Tasmania, Early Oligocene) *†'' Nothofagus cooksoniae'' (Tasmania, Early Oligocene) *†'' Nothofagus crenulata'' (Argentina, Mid Oligocene-Early Miocene) *†'' Nothofagus cretacea'' (Antarctica, Late Cretaceous) *†'' Nothofagus densinervosa'' (Argentina, Mid Oligocene-Early Miocene) *†'' Nothofagus elongata'' (Argentina, Early Oligocene-Early Miocene) *†'' Nothofagus glandularis'' (Tasmania, Mid Oligocene-Early Miocene) *†'' Nothofagus glaucifolia'' (Antarctica, Late Cretaceous) *†'' Nothofagus lanceolata'' (Argentina, Late Oligocene-Early Miocene) *†'' Nothofagus lobata'' (Tasmania, Early Oligocene) *†'' Nothofagus magelhaenica'' (Argentina, Early Oligocene-Early Miocene) *†''

Nothofagus magellanica ''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 ...

'' (Argentina, Late Oligocene-Mid Miocene) *†'' Nothofagus maideni'' (Tasmania, Early Oligocene-Mid Miocene) *†'' Nothofagus microphylla'' (Tasmania, Late Oligocene-Mid Miocene) *†'' Nothofagus mucronata'' (Tasmania, Early Oligocene) *†'' Nothofagus muelleri'' (New South Wales, Late Eocene) *†'' Nothofagus novae-zealandiae'' (New Zealand, Mid-Late Miocene) *†'' Nothofagus pachyphylla'' (Tasmania, Early Pleistocene) *†'' Nothofagus palustris'' (New Zealand, Late Oligocene-Early Miocene) *†'' Nothofagus peduncularis'' (Tasmania, Early Oligocene) *†'' Nothofagus robusta'' (Tasmania, Early Oligocene) *†'' Nothofagus serrata'' (Tasmania, Early Oligocene) *†'' Nothofagus serrulata'' (Argentina, Mid Oligocene-Early Miocene) *†'' Nothofagus simplicidens'' (Argentina, Mid Oligocene-Early Miocene) *†'' Nothofagus smithtonensis'' (Tasmania, Early Oligocene) *†'' Nothofagus tasmanica'' (Tasmania, Eocene-Early Oligocene) *†'' Nothofagus ulmifolia'' (Antarctica, Late Cretaceous) *†'' Nothofagus variabilis'' (Argentina, Oligocene) *†'' Nothofagus zastawniakiae'' (Antarctica, Late Cretaceous)

Distribution

The pattern of distribution around the southern

Pacific Rim The Pacific Rim comprises the lands around the rim of the Pacific Ocean. The '' Pacific Basin'' includes the Pacific Rim and the islands in the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific Rim roughly overlaps with the geological Pacific Ring of Fire. List ...

suggests the dissemination of the genus dates to the time when Antarctica, Australia, and South America were connected in a common land-mass or

supercontinent In geology, a supercontinent is the assembly of most or all of Earth's continent, continental blocks or cratons to form a single large landmass. However, some geologists use a different definition, "a grouping of formerly dispersed continents", ...

referred to as

Gondwana Gondwana ( ; ) was a large landmass, sometimes referred to as a supercontinent. The remnants of Gondwana make up around two-thirds of today's continental area, including South America, Africa, Antarctica, Australia (continent), Australia, Zea ...

. More recent studies suggest that the

Antarctic land bridge The Antarctic land bridge was a land bridge connecting the continents of South America, Antarctica, and Australia that existed from the Late Cretaceous to the Late Eocene. The land bridge consisted of the entire continent of Antarctica (at the time ...

likely played a major role in the dispersal of the genus between these continents. However, genetic evidence using molecular dating methods has been used to argue that the species in New Zealand and New Caledonia evolved from species that arrived in these landmasses by dispersal across oceans. Uncertainty exists in molecular dates and controversy rages as to whether the distribution of ''Nothofagus'' derives from the break-up of Gondwana (i.e.

vicariance Allopatric speciation () – also referred to as geographic speciation, vicariant speciation, or its earlier name the dumbbell model – is a mode of speciation that occurs when biological populations become geographically isolated from ...

), or if long-distance dispersal has occurred across oceans. In South America, the northern limit of the genus can be construed as

La Campana National Park La Campana National Park is in the Cordillera de la Costa, Quillota Province, in the Valparaíso Region of Chile. La Campana National Park and the Vizcachas Mountains lie northwest of Santiago. This national park covers approximately and is ...

and the

Vizcachas Mountains The Vizcachas Mountains is a mountain range northwest of Santiago, in the Santiago Metropolitan Region, Chile. It is part of the Chilean Coast Ranges System. La Campana National Park Part of the Vizcachas Range was incorporated into a protected ar ...

in the central part of Chile.

Evolutionary history

''Nothofagus'' first appeared in Antarctica during the early

Campanian The Campanian is the fifth of six ages of the Late Cretaceous epoch on the geologic timescale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). In chronostratigraphy, it is the fifth of six stages in the Upper Cretaceous Series. Campa ...

stage (83.6 to 72.1 million years ago) of the

Late Cretaceous The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the more recent of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''cre ...

. During the Campanian ''Nothofagus'' diversified and became dominant within Antarctic ecosystems, with the appearance of all four modern subgenera by the end of the stage. ''Nothofagus'' shows a progressive decline in the Antarctic pollen record through the

Maastrichtian The Maastrichtian ( ) is, in the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) geologic timescale, the latest age (geology), age (uppermost stage (stratigraphy), stage) of the Late Cretaceous epoch (geology), Epoch or Upper Cretaceous series (s ...

, before substantially recovering after the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary. ''Nothofagus'' persisted in Antarctica deep into the Cenozoic, despite the increasingly inhospitable conditions, with the final records from the late

Neogene The Neogene ( ,) is a geologic period and system that spans 20.45 million years from the end of the Paleogene Period million years ago ( Mya) to the beginning of the present Quaternary Period million years ago. It is the second period of th ...

, around 15-5 million years old, which were small tundra-adapted

prostrate shrub A prostrate shrub is a woody plant, most of the branches of which lie upon or just above the ground, rather than being held erect as are the branches of most trees and shrubs. Background Prostration may occur because the supporting tissues in ste ...

s, similar to ''

Salix arctica ''Salix arctica'', the Arctic willow, is a tiny creeping willow (family Salicaceae). It is adapted to survive in Arctic conditions, specifically tundras. Description ''S. arctica'' is typically a low shrub growing to only in height, rarely to ...

'' (Arctic willow). ''Nothofagus'' first appeared in southern South America during the late Campanian. During the Paleocene and Eocene they were mostly restricted to southern Patagonia, before reaching a peak abundance during the Miocene. Their distribution contracted westwards during the late Miocene due to the aridification of Patagonia. Although the genus now mostly occurs in cool, isolated, high-altitude environments at

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (approximately 23.5° to 66.5° N/S of the Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ran ...

and

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...

latitude In geography, latitude is a geographic coordinate system, geographic coordinate that specifies the north-south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from −90° at t ...

s, the fossil record shows that it survived in climates that appear to be much warmer than those that ''Nothofagus'' now occupies.

Ecology

''Nothofagus'' species are used as food plants by the

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

e of hepialid

moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...

s of the genus ''

Aenetus ''Aenetus'' is a genus of moths of the family Hepialidae. There are 24 described species found in Indonesia, New Guinea, New Caledonia, Australia and New Zealand. Most species have green or blue forewings and reddish hindwings, but some are predomi ...

'', including ''A. eximia'' and ''A. virescens''. '' Zelopsis nothofagi'' is a leaf hopper, endemic to New Zealand, which is found on ''Nothofagus''. '' Cyttaria'' is genus of

ascomycete Ascomycota is a phylum of the kingdom Fungi that, together with the Basidiomycota, forms the subkingdom Dikarya. Its members are commonly known as the sac fungi or ascomycetes. It is the largest phylum of Fungi, with over 64,000 species. The def ...

fungi A fungus (: fungi , , , or ; or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as one ...

found on or associated with ''Nothofagus'' in Australia and South America. ''

Misodendrum ''Misodendrum'' is a genus of hemiparasites which grow as mistletoes on various species of ''Nothofagus''. Its species are all restricted to South America. The name of the genus is incorrectly spelt in a number of ways, including ''Misodendron' ...

'' are specialist parasitic plants found on various species of ''Nothofagus'' in South America. Additionally, the beetle, Brachysternus prasinus, has been known to live in ''Nothofagus'' in Chile and in parts of Argentina. The geographic range of B. prasinus is highly dependent on the availability and distribution of Nothofagus on which B. prasinus is believed to feed. B. prasinus have been observed in the Nothofagus forests near the cities of Coquimbo and Llanquihue in Chile as well as the areas of

Neuquén Neuquén (; ) is the capital city of the Argentine province of Neuquén and of the Confluencia Department, located in the east of the province. It occupies a strip of land west of the confluence of the Limay and Neuquén rivers which form t ...

and Chubut in Western Argentina.'' The species of subgenus ''Brassospora'' are evergreen, and distributed in the tropics of New Guinea, New Britain, and New Caledonia. In New Guinea and New Britain ''Nothofagus'' is characteristic of lower montane rain forests between 1000 and 2500 meters elevation, occurring infrequently at elevations as low as 600 meters, and in upper montane forests between 2500 and 3150 meters elevation. ''Nothofagus'' is most commonly found above the ''Castanopsis-Lithocarpus'' zone in the lower montane forests, and below the conifer-dominated upper montane forests. ''Nothofagus'' grows in mixed stands with trees of other species or in pure stands, particularly on ridge crests and upper slopes. The New Guinea Highlands, Central Range has the greatest diversity of species, with fewer species distributed among the mountains of western and northern New Guinea, New Britain, and Goodenough and Normanby islands. The New Caledonian species are endemic to the main island (Grand Terre), most commonly on soils derived from ultramafic rocks between 150 and 1350 meters elevation. They occur in isolated stands, forming a low or stunted and irregular and fairly open canopy. The conifers ''Agathis'' and ''Araucaria'' are sometimes present as emergents, rising 10 to 20 meters above the ''Nothofagus'' canopy.

Beech mast

Every four to six years or so, ''Nothofagus'' produces a heavier crop of seeds and is known as the beech Mast (botany), mast. In New Zealand, the beech mast causes an increase in the population of introduced mammals such as mice, rats, and stoats. When the rodent population collapses, the stoats begin to prey on native bird species, many of which are threatened with extinction. This phenomenon is covered in more detail in the article on stoats in New Zealand.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Nothofagaceae Trees of New Zealand Fagales genera Extant Campanian first appearances Taxa named by Carl Ludwig Blume