''Beilschmiedia berteroana'' (southern acorn tree, ''belloto del sur'' in Spanish) is a

threatened Threatened species are any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of ''critical depensa ...

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...

tree in the family Lauraceae native to

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

at 35 to 37°S.

Description

It can measure 30 m in height and one metre in diameter. The trunk is straight and branched, and the bark is gray with longitudinal fissures. Leaves are opposite and subopposite, elliptical to aovate-elliptical, and they have entire margins; they are glossy green above and glaucous below. The apex is rounded or slightly emarginated and the base is lightly wedge-shaped. The leaves are about 3–7.5 cm long and 2–4 cm wide, with

pubescent The adjective pubescent may describe: * people or animals undergoing puberty * plants that are hairy, covered in trichomes * insects that are covered in setae In biology, setae (singular seta ; from the Latin word for "bristle") are any of a ...

petioles 2–5 mm long. The hermaphrodite flowers are arranged in

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphology (biology), Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of sperma ...

s about 5–6 cm long. The pedicellate flowers are 4–6 mm and greenish-yellow in color. The edible fruit is a green, globose drupe with a single seed, 1.5–2 cm in diameter, with a point at the apex.

Ecology

It grows at altitudes up to 1800 m above sea level, and it has an acceptable frost tolerance within this mostly tropical genus. A specific example of occurrence is in the

La Campana National Park La Campana National Park is located in the Cordillera de la Costa, Quillota Province, in the Valparaíso Region of Chile. La Campana National Park and the Vizcachas Mountains lie northwest of Santiago. This national park covers approximately a ...

of central

and amid the adjoining Cerro La Campana; in that location it is associated with the

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and in ...

Chilean wine palm ''Jubaea'' is a genus of palms with one species, ''Jubaea chilensis'' or ''Jubaea spectabilis'', commonly known in English as the Chilean wine palm or Chile cocopalm, and palma chilena in Spanish. It is native to southwestern South America and i ...

, a tree with a much wider prehistoric distribution than at present.C. Michael Hogan, 2008

Uses and cultivation

Edible fruit, with a sweet taste; of local consumption, with fruit potential. The bark of ''B. berteroana'' is useful for tanning leather. It is often used as an ornamental tree in Chile. It blooms between July and August (Southern Hemisphere). The flowers are used by introduced European bees for producing a very delicious honey. The wood is very beautiful and hard. The tree has been planted and acclimatized in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, but is rarely seen there.

References

*P. Hechenleitner, M. Gardner, P. Thomas, C. Echeverría, B. Escobar, P. Brownless y C. Martínez. 2005. Plantas Amenazadas del Centro-Sur de Chile. Distribución, Conservación y Propagación. Primera Edición. Universidad Austral de Chile y Real Jardín Botánico de Edimburgo, Valdivia. 188p. * C. Michael Hogan (2008
''Chilean Wine Palm: Jubaea chilensis'', GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg
* *R. Rodríguez, y M. Quezada. 2001. Laurales. En C. Marticorena y R. Rodríguez ds. Flora de Chile Vol. 2, pp 10–19. Universidad de Concepción, Concepción.

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