Nothofagus cliffortioides
Species of southern beech tree in New Zealand
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nothofagus cliffortioides, commonly called mountain beech (Māori: tawhai rauriki), is a species of southern beech tree and is endemic to New Zealand. Mountain beech grows in mountainous regions at high elevations. In New Zealand the taxon is called Fuscospora cliffortioides.[3][4] Nothofagus cliffortioides occupies a wider range of habitat than any other New Zealand tree species and it shows a corresponding range of life form, seeding habits, regenerative patterns, growth habits, growth rates, stand replacement and mortality patterns.[5]
| Nothofagus cliffortioides | |
|---|---|
| |
| Mountain beech trees | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fagales |
| Family: | Nothofagaceae |
| Genus: | Nothofagus |
| Subgenus: | Nothofagus subg. Fuscospora |
| Species: | N. cliffortioides |
| Binomial name | |
| Nothofagus cliffortioides | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
Mountain beech grows to around 20 metres (66 ft)[6] but near the treeline forms a "goblin forest" where the trees are no more than 2 m (6 ft 7 in) tall. It also has leaves that are elongated and have a pointed end.
Ecology
Mountain beech is eaten by the mountain beech flat moth (Proteodes carnifex), and is a host plant for the lichens Yarrumia colensoi and Podostictina degelii, and the fungi Annulohypoxylon bovei and Rossbeevera pachydermis.[7]
Hybrids
- Mountain beech is known to hybridise with black beech (Nothofagus solandri) where the two species co-exist, and in some places the hybrids may form complex introgressive hybrid swarms.[8]
- Mountain beech also hybridises with red beech (Nothofagus fusca) to form the hybrid species Nothofagus × blairii.[3]
