Southern beeches facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Nothofagus |
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| N.obliqua shoot with fruits | |
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Nothofagaceae
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Nothofagus
Blume
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Nothofagus is a type of plant often called the southern beech. These trees can grow very tall, sometimes reaching up to 35 meters (about 115 feet)! You can find Nothofagus trees in different parts of the Southern Hemisphere, including South America, New Zealand, Australia, and New Guinea.
Contents
Discovering Southern Beech Trees
There are 34 known types, or species, of Nothofagus trees. Scientists group these species into four main sections based on how their pollen looks. These sections are called Brassospora, Fuscospora, Lophozonia, and Nothofagus. Each section tends to grow in specific regions of the world.
Where Do Southern Beeches Grow?
The different groups of Nothofagus trees are found in various places across the Southern Hemisphere. This shows how these trees spread out over millions of years.
Nothofagus Section: South America's Trees
This group includes species found mainly in South America. Some examples are:
- Nothofagus Antarctica
- Nothofagus betuloides
- Nothofagus dombeyi
- Nothofagus nitida
- Nothofagus pumilio
Brassospora Section: New Guinea and New Caledonia
Trees in the Brassospora section are found in New Guinea and New Caledonia. This group has many different species, such as:
- Nothofagus aequilateralis
- Nothofagus balansae
- Nothofagus baumanniae
- Nothofagus brassii
- Nothofagus carrii
- Nothofagus codonandra
- Nothofagus crenata
- Nothofagus discoidea
- Nothofagus flaviramea
- Nothofagus grandis
- Nothofagus nuda
- Nothofagus perryi
- Nothofagus pseudoresinosa
- Nothofagus pullei
- Nothofagus resinosa
- Nothofagus rubra
- Nothofagus starkenborghii
- Nothofagus stylosa
- Nothofagus womersleyi
Fuscospora Section: Across Continents
The Fuscospora section includes species found in South America, Australia, and some islands in Oceania. These trees show how the genus spread widely.
- Nothofagus alessandri
- Nothofagus fusca
- Nothofagus gunnii
- Nothofagus solandri
- Nothofagus truncata
Lophozonia Section: South America and Oceania
Trees in the Lophozonia section grow in parts of South America and Oceania. This group includes well-known species like:
- Nothofagus alpina
- Nothofagus cunninghamii
- Nothofagus glauca
- Nothofagus macrocarpa
- Nothofagus menziesii
- Nothofagus moorei
- Nothofagus obliqua
Images for kids
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Shoots, leaves, and cupules of N. obliqua
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Beech trees in New Zealand
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The Nothofagus plant genus illustrates the distribution on fragments of the old supercontinent Gondwana: Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Argentina, and Chile. Fossils show that the genus originated on Gondwana.
