Nothofagus solandri var. 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 altitudes. In New Zealand the taxon is called Fuscospora cliffortioides.[3] Nothofagus solandri var. 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.[4]

Nothofagus solandri var. cliffortioides
Mountain beech trees
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Fagales
Family:	Nothofagaceae
Genus:	Fuscospora
Species:	F. cliffortioides
Binomial name
Fuscospora cliffortioides (Hook.f.) Heenan & Smissen[1]
Synonyms[2]
Fagus cliffortioides Hook.f. Nothofagus cliffortioides (Hook.f.) Oerst. Nothofagus solandri var. cliffortioides (Hook.f.) Poole

Mountain beech grows to around 20 metres (66 ft)[5] 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.

Hybrids

• Mountain beech is known to hybridise with black beech (Nothofagus solandri var. solandri) where the two species co-exist, and in some places the hybrids may form complex introgressive hybrid swarms.[6]
• Mountain beech also hybridises with red beech (Nothofagus fusca) to form the hybrid species Nothofagus × blairii.[3]

References

External links

• University of Waikato: Nothofagus

This Fagales article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e

This New Zealand plant article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e