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Nothofagus
Also called Beech
Nothofagus is a genus of about 43 species of evergreen and deciduous trees and shrubs from the Southern Hemisphere, forming dominant temperate forests in South America, Australia, New Zealand and New Guinea. Few are grown in gardens; they need cool, moist conditions and a large, deep site.
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 eastern and southeast Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, and New Caledonia. The species are ecological dominants in many temperate forests in these regions. Some species are reportedly naturalised in Germany and Great Britain. 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.
The pattern of distribution around the southern Pacific Rim 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 referred to as Gondwana. More recent studies suggest that the Antarctic land bridge 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), 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 and the Vizcachas Mountains in the central part of Chile.
Rauli · Antarctic Beech · Magellan's Beech · Mountain Beech · Myrtle Beech · Coigue · Red Beech · Roble Colorado · Nothofagus macrocarpa · Silver Beech · Roble beech · Lenga Beech
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Nothofagus by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
