Everything about Nothofagus totally explained
Nothofagus, also known as the
southern beeches, is a genus of about 35
species of
trees and
shrubs native to the temperate oceanic to tropical
Southern Hemisphere in southern
South America (
Chile,
Argentina) and
Australasia (east & southeast
Australia,
Tasmania,
New Zealand,
New Guinea and
New Caledonia).
In the past they were included in the family
Fagaceae, but genetic tests by the
Angiosperm Phylogeny Group revealed them to be genetically distinct, and they're now included in a family their own, the
Nothofagaceae.
The
leaves are toothed or entire,
evergreen or
deciduous. The
fruit is a small, flattened or triangular
nut, borne in cupules containing 2-7 nuts.
Nothofagus species are used as food plants by the
larva of
hepialid moths of the genus
Aenetus including
A. eximia and
A. virescens.
Many individuals are extremely old, and at one time it was believed that some populations couldn't reproduce in present-day conditions at the location where they were growing, except by
suckering (
clonal reproduction), being remnant forest from a cooler time. It has since been shown that
sexual reproduction may occur
(External Link
), but distribution in cool,
isolated high-altitude environments at
temperate and
tropical latitudes is consistent with the theory that the species was more prolific in a cooler age.
(External Link
) The
pattern of distribution around the southern
Pacific Ocean rim has fed speculation that the dissemination of the genus dates to the time when
Antarctica, Australia and
South America were connected, the hypothetical common land-mass referred to as
Gondwanaland.
(External Link
)
Taxonomy
The genus is classified in the following sections:
Sect. Brassospora (type Nothofagus brassi)
Sect. Fuscospora (type Nothofagus fusca)
Nothofagus alessandri (Central Chile)
Nothofagus fusca (New Zealand)
Nothofagus gunnii (Australia: Tasmania)
Nothofagus solandri (New Zealand)
Nothofagus truncata (New Zealand)
Sect. Lophozonia (type Nothofagus menziesii)
Nothofagus alpina (=N. procera) (Central Chile)
Nothofagus cunninghamii (Australia: Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania)
Nothofagus glauca (Central Chile)
Nothofagus macrocarpa (Central Chile)
Nothofagus menziesii (New Zealand)
Nothofagus moorei (Australia: New South Wales, Queensland)
Nothofagus obliqua (South America)
Sect. Nothofagus (type Nothofagus antarctica)
Nothofagus antarctica (South America)
Nothofagus betuloides (South America)
Nothofagus dombeyi (Central Chile and Andean Patagonia)
Nothofagus nitida (South America)
Nothofagus pumilio (South America)Further Information
Get more info on 'Nothofagus'.
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