Nothofagus fusca
Endemic New Zealand tree with durable timber and Antarctic fossil pollen.
Red beech, known in Māori as tawhai raunui and scientifically as *Nothofagus fusca* (or *Fuscospora fusca* in New Zealand), is a southern beech tree that grows only in New Zealand, found on both the North and South Islands. It typically thrives on lower hills and in inland valley floors where the soil is fertile and drains well. This evergreen tree reaches a medium height of up to 35 metres, with leaves arranged alternately. The leaves are broad and oval-shaped, 2 to 4 centimetres long and 1.5 to 3 centimetres wide, and their edges are distinctly double-toothed—each lobe has two teeth. The tree produces a small cupule fruit that holds three seeds.
Pollen from red beech has been discovered near the Antarctic Peninsula, indicating that the species lived in Antarctica as far back as the Eocene period. It is not currently considered threatened.
Red beech is the only known plant, aside from rooibos (*Aspalathus linearis*), that contains the C-linked dihydrochalcone glycoside nothofagin. It is also planted as an ornamental tree in mild oceanic climates, valued for its attractive leaf shape, and has been introduced to Scotland and the northern Pacific coast of the United States. Its wood is the most durable of all New Zealand beeches and was frequently used for flooring across the country. The timber remains exceptionally stable when dried to the right moisture levels, with an average density of 630 kilograms per cubic metre at 12 percent moisture content.
Red beech can hybridise with mountain beech (*Nothofagus cliffortioides*) to produce *Nothofagus ×blairii*, with black beech (*Nothofagus solandri*) to produce *Nothofagus ×dubia*, and with the Chilean ruil tree (*Nothofagus alessandrii*) to produce *Nothofagus ×eugenananus*.
- common_name
- Red beech
- scientific_name
- Nothofagus fusca
- family
- Southern beech
- native_range
- New Zealand (North and South Islands)
- max_height
- 35 m
- wood_density
- 630 kg/m³ at 12% moisture content
- conservation_status
- Not currently considered threatened
Lore & Background
Red beech is endemic to New Zealand, found on both the North and South Islands, typically on lower hills and inland valley floors with fertile, well-drained soil. It is a medium-sized evergreen tree reaching 35 m in height, with leaves that are broad ovoid, 2 to 4 cm long, and have a distinctive double-toothed margin. The fruit is a small cupule containing three seeds. Pollen from the tree was found near the Antarctic Peninsula, indicating it formerly grew in Antarctica since the Eocene period.
Reader's Guide
Red beech holds significance as the only known plant source, apart from rooibos, of the C-linked dihydrochalcone glycoside nothofagin. Its wood is the most durable of all New Zealand beeches, often used in flooring, and is exceptionally stable when dried to appropriate moisture values, with an average density of 630 kg/m³ at 12 percent moisture content. The tree is also grown as an ornamental in regions with a mild oceanic climate, such as Scotland and the North Coast of the Pacific of the United States, due to its attractive leaf shape. Red beech hybridises with mountain beech, black beech, and the ruil tree from Chile, forming three distinct hybrid species. Its fossil pollen near Antarctica provides evidence of its ancient distribution during the Eocene.
Did You Know?
- Red beech is the only known plant source, apart from rooibos, of the C-linked dihydrochalcone glycoside nothofagin.
- Pollen from red beech was found near the Antarctic Peninsula, showing it formerly grew in Antarctica since the Eocene period.
- Red beech hybridises with mountain beech, black beech, and the ruil tree from Chile to form three hybrid species.
- The wood of red beech is the most durable of all New Zealand beeches and has an average density of 630 kg/m³ at 12 percent moisture content.
More in Flowering Trees & Shrubs 1-20
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