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.) Blume

Illustration from specimens collected by the Endeavour, Tierra del Fuego, 1769

Nothofagus betuloides, the Magellan's beech and is sometimes known by the common name 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.^[1]

Distribution

Nothofagus betuloides grows from southern Chile and southern Argentina (40°S) to Tierra del Fuego (56°S), specimens from the southern forests resist temperatures down to −20°C (−4°F). It is found from sea level to 500 meters (1600 ft). It is an evergreen tree, up to 25 meters (82 feet), columnar appearance, in its natural environment it tolerates cold winters and absence of heat in summer.

Cultivation

It succeeds in Scotland. Trees planted in Faroe Islands, which were imported directly from its southernmost distribution in Tierra del Fuego, have turned out to be very hardy.^[2]

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

References

1. ^ Kew gardens, or A popular guide to the Royal Botanic Gardens of Kew by Sir W.J. Hooker
2. ^ Højgaard, A., J. Jóhansen, and S. Ødum (eds) 1989. A century of tree planting in the Faroe Islands. Føroya Frodskaparfelag, Torshavn.

• Donoso, C. 2005. Árboles nativos de Chile. Guía de reconocimiento. Edición 4. Marisa Cuneo Ediciones, Valdivia, Chile. 136p.
• Hoffmann, Adriana. 1998. Flora Silvestre de Chile, Zona Central. Edición 4. Fundación Claudio Gay, Santiago. 254p.
• Rodríguez, R. & Quezada, M. 2003. Fagaceae. En C. Marticorena y R. Rodríguez [eds.], Flora de Chile Vol. 2(2), pp 64–76. Universidad de Concepción, Concepción.
• "Nothofagus betuloides". Encyclopedia of Chilean Flora. http://www.florachilena.cl/Niv_tax/Angiospermas/Ordenes/Fagales/Nothofagaceae/Nothofagus%20betuloides/N.%20betuloides.htm. Retrieved 2009-06-27. 
• "Magellan's beech". Chilebosque. http://www.chilebosque.cl/tree/nbetu.html. Retrieved 2009-06-27. 
• "Nothofagotts betuloides in the Netherlands". PlantenTuin Esveld. http://www.esveld.nl/htmldiaen/n/nobetu.htm. Retrieved 2009-06-27.