#southern beech

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#2348 - Nothofagus cliffortioides - Mountain Beech

AKA Fagus cliffortioides, Fuscospora cliffortioides and in Māori tawhai rauriki.

A species of Southern Beech endemic to New Zealand, widespread in mountainous areas at high elevations, but near the treeline it forms 'goblin forests' barely 2m tall. Lower on the slopes it easily reachs 20m.

Not the only Nothofagus species I saw on the trip - they're the dominant trees in most higher altitude forests.

Whakapapa Village, North Island Volcanic Plateau, New Zealand

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#2394 - Nothofagus solandri - New Zealand Black Beech 

AKA Nothofagus solandri var. solandri or Fuscospora solandri.

An endemic evergreen tree growing to 27 m tall. Found on both the North and the South Island at low elevations up to the mountains. Widespread on ridges in inland Taranaki.

Black beech gets that name because of a sooty mold which covers the trunk and branches. I'll discuss that more when I get to the St. Arnaud section of the trip, where it's a vital part of the ecosystem.

Black beech is known to hybridise freely with mountain beech (Nothofagus cliffortioides) where the two species co-exist, although Mountain beech generally grows at higher elevations. It also hybridises with hard beech (Nothofagus truncata) to form the hybrid species Nothofagus × apiculata, and with red beech (Nothofagus fusca) to form the hybrid species Nothofagus × dubia.

Whangamōmona Saddle, Inland Taranaki, New Zealand

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En el bosque/In the forest, Puyehue, Chile.

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El invierno llega también a los bosques de Roble y Raulí (Nothofagus obliqua y N. alpina), mientras un diucón parece curioso.

Créditos fotografías: Andrés Valenzuela-Sánchez.