Family Nothofagaceae Rank Species | Genus Nothofagus Higher classification Nothofagus | |
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Similar Nothofagus, Nothofagus antarctica, Nothofagus nitida, Nothofagus pumilio, Nothofagus dombeyi | ||
Nothofagus betuloides, Magellan's beech or guindo, is native to southern Patagonia.
Contents
In 1769 Sir Joseph Banks collected a specimen of the tree in Tierra del Fuego during Captain Cook's first voyage.
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).
Description
It is an evergreen tree up to 25 m (82 ft) 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.
The wood has beautiful marks, is pinkish, hard and semi-heavy, and is used in furniture and construction.