Myrtle beech

Description

Nothofagus cunninghamii, the myrtle beech, is an evergreen tree native to Tasmania and Victoria, Australia. It grows mainly in the temperate rainforests, but also grows in alpine areas. It is not related to the Myrtle family. It is often referred to as Tasmanian myrtle within the timber industry. N. cunninghamii was proposed to be renamed Lophozonia cunninghamii in 2013. There has been some controversy over the change in name from Nothofagus to Lophozonia. These plants range from trees 30–40 m (98–131 ft) tall with large trunks to low-growing alpine shrubs less than 1 m tall. Maximum height is about 55 m (180 ft). The leaves are simple and alternate, growing 0.5–1.5 cm (0.2–0.6 in) long, and in Victoria up to 2 cm (0.8 in) long. The leaf color is dark green, with new growth brilliant red, pink or orange in spring. They are triangular with irregular minute teeth. The plants have separate male and female flowers on the same tree. These flower form inconspicuous clusters beside leaves near the tips of the branches. The fruit is small (about 6 mm (0.24 in)) and woody and contains three small winged nuts. Occasionally one may see round, orange-like fruiting bodies of a fungus protruding from the trunk; this is Cyttaria gunnii.