''Nothofagus truncata'', or hard beech ( mi, tawhai raunui), is a species of tree

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to New Zealand. Its common name derives from the fact that the timber has a high

silica Silicon dioxide, also known as silica, is an oxide of silicon with the chemical formula , most commonly found in nature as quartz and in various living organisms. In many parts of the world, silica is the major constituent of sand. Silica is ...

content, making it tough and difficult to saw.John Dawson and R. Lucas. 2000 Hard beech is a tree up to 30m tall occurring in lowland and lower montane forest from latitude 35°S to 42°30'S, that is, from the north of the

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...

southwards to Marlborough and south

Westland Westland or Westlands may refer to: Places *Westlands, an affluent neighbourhood in the city of Nairobi, Kenya * Westlands, Staffordshire, a suburban area and ward in Newcastle-under-Lyme *Westland, a peninsula of the Shetland Mainland near Vaila ...

in the

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...

.C. Michael Hogan. 2009 In

Taranaki Taranaki is a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano of Mount Taranaki, also known as Mount Egmont. The main centre is the city of New Plymouth. The New Plymouth Dist ...

it forms almost pure stands on the rugged sandstone country there and is partially deciduous, dropping many of its leaves at the end of the winter.''Fuscospora truncata'' (Hard Beech)
TERRAIN ''N. truncata'' became known as ''Fuscospora truncata'' after 2013 in New Zealand.

Ecology

The

understorey In forestry and ecology, understory (American English), or understorey (Commonwealth English), also known as underbrush or undergrowth, includes plant life growing beneath the forest canopy without penetrating it to any great extent, but abov ...

of forests populated by ''N. truncata'' may contain a variety of ferns and other understory vegetation; characteristic understory elements may include

crown fern ''Lomaria discolor'', synonym ''Blechnum discolor'', commonly called crown fern (Māori: piupiu), is a species of fern in the family Blechnaceae. This species is endemic to New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country i ...

and drooping spleenwort.

Morphology

The coriaceous, hairless broadly ovate leaves range from long, and have from eight to twelve pairs of coarse, blunt teeth. The slate to dark grey bark is thick and furrowed. The tiny red male flowers are bell-shaped and produced in large numbers while the female flowers, which are green tipped with brown, are in groups of three on short stalks growing in the axils of the leaves.

Uses

The bark of ''Nothofagus truncata'' has a high

tannin Tannins (or tannoids) are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids. The term ''tannin'' (from Anglo-Norman ''tanner'', ...

content and has traditionally been used for tanning leather. The timber is red when freshly cut but turns pale brown as it dries. It has been used for bridge building and for making poles, fencing posts and railway sleepers. The wood has a fine straight grain and even texture and is used for joinery, flooring, decking and cabinet making.Hard beech: ''Nothofagus truncata''
Farm Forestry Timbers

Hybrids

* Hard beech hybridises with black beech ('' Nothofagus solandri'') to form the hybrid species ''Nothofagus × apiculata''.

Notes

* John Dawson and R. Lucas. 2000. ''The Nature Guide to the New Zealand Forest'', Godwit Publishing * Flora of New Zealand. 2007
''Nothofagus truncata''
Accessed 2010-10-04. * C. Michael Hogan. 2009
''Crown Fern: ''Blechnum discolor', Globaltwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg
* New Zealand Plant Conservation Network, UR
''Nothofagus truncata''
Accessed 2010-10-04.

References

* * {{Taxonbar, from1=Q2842474, from2=Q42742929 Nothofagaceae Endemic flora of New Zealand Trees of New Zealand