Nothofagus betuloides

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Rosids
Cladus: Eurosids I
Ordo: Fagales

Familia: Nothofagaceae
Genus: Nothofagus
Subgenus: Nothofagus subg. Nothofagus
Species: Nothofagus betuloides
Name

Nothofagus betuloides (Mirb.) Oerst., Kongel. Danske Vidensk. Selsk. Skr., Naturvidensk. Math. Afd. Ser. 5, 9: 354. (1871)
Synonyms

Basionym
Fagus betuloides Mirb., Mém. Mus. Hist. Nat. 14: 469 (1827)
Homotypic
Calusparassus betuloides (Mirb.) Hombr. & Jacquinot ex Decne. in J.S.C.Dumont d'Urville, Voy. Pôle Sud 2: 20 (1853)
Heterotypic
Betula antarctica G.Forst. ex Willd., Sp. Pl., ed. 4, 4: 466 (1805)
Fagus dubia Mirb., Mém. Mus. Hist. Nat. 14: 471 (1827)
Fagus forsteri Hook., J. Bot. 2: 156 (1840)
Calusparassus forsteri (Hook.) Hombr. & Jacquinot ex Decne. in J.S.C.Dumont d'Urville, Voy. Pôle Sud 2: 20 (1853)
Nothofagus dubia (Mirb.) Oerst., Bidr. Egefam.: 24 (1871)
Nothofagus forsteri (Hook.) Krasser, Ann. K. K. Naturhist. Hofmus. 11: 163 (1896)
Nothofagus patagonica Gand., Bull. Soc. Bot. France 60: 27 (1913)

References

Oersted, A.S. 1871. Kongelige Danske videnskabernes Selskabs Skrifter, Naturvidenskabeli Mathematisk Afdeling ser. 5, 9: 354.
Govaerts, R. et al. 2022. Nothofagus betuloides in World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2022 Apr. 3. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2022. Nothofagus betuloides. Published online. Accessed: Apr. 3 2022.
Tropicos.org 2022. Nothofagus betuloides. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published online. Accessed: 3 Apr. 2022.
USDA, ARS, Germplasm Resources Information Network. Nothofagus betuloides in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. Accessed: 07-Oct-06.

Nothofagus betuloides, Magellan's beech[1] or guindo, is a tree 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.[3]

Its occurrence on Hornos Island earns it the distinction of being the southernmost tree on Earth.[4]

Distribution

Nothofagus betuloides grows from southern Chile and southern Argentina (40°S) to Tierra del Fuego (56°S). It is found from sea level to 500 m (1,600 ft) above mean sea level. One specimen growing near the southeastern corner of Hornos Island (Cape Horn) was identified in 2019 as the southernmost tree in the world.[4]
Description

It is an evergreen tree up to 25 m (82 ft) tall, with a columnar appearance. In its natural environment, it tolerates cold winters and absence of heat in summer. Specimens from the southern forests resist temperatures down to −20 °C (−4 °F).
Cultivation

It succeeds in Scotland. Trees planted in the Faroe Islands, which were imported directly from its southernmost distribution in Tierra del Fuego, have turned out to be very hardy.[5]

The wood has beautiful marks, and is pinkish, hard, and semiheavy; it is used in furniture and construction.

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

Fagus betuloides in Joseph Dalton Hooker's Flora Antarctica 1844–1846, from the Ross expedition of 1839–1843

References

Baldwin, H. (2018). "Nothofagus betuloides". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T96477315A96479945. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T96477315A96479945.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
"The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species".
Kew gardens, or A popular guide to the Royal Botanic Gardens of Kew by Sir W.J. Hooker
Welch, Craig (July 2020). "The tree at the bottom of the world—and the wind-blasted trek to find it". National Geographic. Retrieved July 13, 2020.

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. Retrieved 2009-06-27.
"Magellan's beech". Chilebosque. Retrieved 2009-06-27.
"Nothofagus betuloides in the Netherlands". PlantenTuin Esveld. Retrieved 2009-06-27.