Nothofagus betuloides


Nothofagus betuloides, Magellan's beech or guindo, is a tree native to southern Patagonia.
In 1769, Sir Joseph Banks collected a specimen of the tree in Tierra del Fuego during Captain Cook's first voyage.
Its occurrence on Hornos Island earns it the distinction of being the southernmost tree on Earth.

Distribution

Nothofagus betuloides grows from southern Chile and southern Argentina to Tierra del Fuego. It is found from sea level to above mean sea level. One specimen growing near the southeastern corner of Hornos Island was identified in 2019 as the southernmost tree in the world.

Description

It is an evergreen tree up to tall, with a columnar appearance. In its natural environment, it tolerates cold winters and absence of heat in summer. Specimens from the southern forests resist temperatures down to.

Cultivation

It succeeds in Scotland. Trees planted in the Faroe Islands, which were imported directly from its southernmost distribution in Tierra del Fuego, have turned out to be very hardy.
The wood has beautiful marks, and is pinkish, hard, and semiheavy; it is used in furniture and construction.