''Nothofagus solandri'' var. ''solandri'', commonly called black beech, is a variety of the tree species ''Nothofagus solandri'',

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 else ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. Black beech occurs on both the

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north ...

and the South Island at low altitudes up to the mountains. The other variety of ''N. solandri'' is called mountain beech or ''Nothofagus solandri'' var. ''cliffortioides'', and grows at higher altitudes than black beech. In New Zealand the taxon is called ''Fuscospora solandri''. Black beech is a medium-sized

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 botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

growing to 27 m tall. The leaves are oppositely arranged, ovoid, 10 mm long and 5 mm broad, with smooth margins. Black beech is known as black beech because it is prone to a sooty mold which covers the trunk and branches. This, in turn, is the result of a scale insect which sucks sap from the tree, and excretes honeydew, a sweet liquid, in small droplets (less than 1 mm diameter) on the end of stalks. This feeds the sooty mold, and also forms a valuable high-energy food source for various birds and insects including the '' kaka''. The infestation is common and does not appear to harm the tree. Black beech and mountain beech have both been planted in Great Britain, and mountain beech has shown better cold tolerance than black beech in locations such as

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

Hybrids

* Black beech is known to hybridise freely with mountain beech (''Nothofagus solandri'' var. ''cliffortioides'') where the two species co-exist, and in some places the hybrids may form complex introgressive hybrid swarms. * Black beech hybridises with Nothofagus truncata, hard beech (''

Nothofagus truncata ''Nothofagus truncata'', or hard beech ( mi, tawhai raunui), is a species of tree endemic to New Zealand. Its common name derives from the fact that the timber has a high silica content, making it tough and difficult to saw.John Dawson and R. Luc ...

'') to form the hybrid species ''Nothofagus × apiculata''. * Black beech hybridises with

red beech Red beech is a common name applied to several species of trees: *'' Dillenia alata'', native to Northern Australia and New Guinea *'' Fuscospora fusca'', native to New Zealand *''Protorhus longifolia ''Protorhus longifolia'', the red beech, is ...

(''

Nothofagus fusca ''Nothofagus fusca'', commonly known as red beech (Māori: tawhai raunui) is a species of southern beech, endemic to New Zealand, where it occurs on both the North Island and South Island. Generally it is found on lower hills and inland valley ...

'') to form the hybrid species ''Nothofagus × dubia''.

References

External links

University of Waikato: ''Nothofagus''
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q5756037, from2=Q42742922 Nothofagaceae Endemic flora of New Zealand Trees of New Zealand Garden plants of New Zealand Ornamental trees