Cupulifere. | FLORA OF NEW ZEALAND. 229 
Nar. Og». LXXXI. CUPULIFERA, Rich. 
Gen. I. FAGUS, Tourn. 
Flores monoici. Fu. 3. Perianthium v. involucrum campanulatum, 5-6-fidum. Stamina 8-12, 
eirca discum glandulosum inserta. Pr. 9 2-4, involucro 4-partito inclusi. Perianthium urceolatum, cum 
ovario coadunatum ; ore contracto. Ovarium 3-loculare; ovulis quovis loculo solitariis, pendulis.  Sžylis 
3, filiformibus. Nuces involucro indurato dorso fimbriato v. spinuloso sessiles, compressce, trigonee, abortu 
1-spermee. 
The Beeches of the Southern Hemisphere rank amongst the finest trees of the regions they inhabit—South Chili, 
Fuegia, New Zealand, and Tasmania. Al are much smaller leaved, flowered, and fruited plants than the Northern 
Beeches, and their fruit is hence not worth eating by natives, as our Beech-mast would be. All become stunted, 
prostrate, and depressed in alpine situations. A peculiar genus of Fungi, Cyttaria, grows on the Tasmanian and 
Fuegian species, and is an important article of food amongst the Fuegians; it has not yet been found in New 
Zealand, but probably will be. All the species here described are evergreens, but one Tasmanian and several 
Fuegian have deciduous foliage. Flowers moncecious; male consisting of several stamina in a bell-shaped 
perianth, surrounding a central gland; female of two to four ovaria, closely invested with an urceolate perianth, en- 
closed in a four-parted involucre, which becomes woody, fimbriate, or spinous in fruit. Ovary three-celled, with 
three styles. Fruit of several compressed, flagon-shaped, small nuts, each one-celled, with one seed, no albumen, 
and plaited cotyledons. (Name, pyyos in Greek, from payo, to eat.) 
1. Fagus Menziesta, Hook. fil.; arbor elata, sempervirens, ramulis fulvo-tomentosis, foliis glaberrimis 
crassis coriaceisgue breve petiolatis rhombeo-ovatis orbiculatisve obtusis profunde duplicato-crenatis venis 
inconspicuis, involucri laciniis fimbriatis fimbriis multiseriatis apicibus globoso-incrassatis, fructibus coriaceis 
puberulis alatis, alis sursum productis, perianthio infra stylum paucifimbriato. Hook. Ic. Plant. t. 652. 
Has. Mountains of the Northern and Middle Islands. Dusky Bay, Menzies. Ruahine mountains 
and Waikare Lake, Bidwill, Colenso. Mountains of Nelson, above 3000 feet, Bidwill. Nat. name, 
“ Tavai,” Col. “Red Birch” of the colonists. 
A very handsome tree, 80-100 feet high, 2-3 in diameter. Bark silvery, outer layers peeling off and ex- 
posing a red surface. Branches tabular, tufted and leafy at the extremities. Branchlets covered with fulvous pu- 
bescence. Leaves bright deep green, very rigid and coriaceous, + inch long, as broad, rhomboid, blunt, doubly 
erenate. Involucres puberulous, 2-2 inch long; segments erect, armed on the back with five to seven tiers of soft 
spines, each recurved and swollen at the point. Nuts fimbriated towards the apex, rarely entire, puberulous, two- 
to three-winged; wings produced upwards into flat sharp points.— Very nearly allied both to the 7. Cunninghamii 
of Tasmania, and F. öetuloides of Fuegia. 
2. Fagus fusca, Hook. fil. ; arbor elata, sempervirens, ramulis pubescentibus, foliis glaberrimis venosis 
petiolatis ovato-oblongis obtusis grosse serratis basi cuneatis integerrimis, pedunculis fl. masc. subpanicu- 
latis 3-floris puberulis glandulosis, involucris late -ovatis coriaceis segmentis dorso lamellatis, nucibus pu- 
berulis alatis, alis apice subdentatis. Betuloides fusca, Banks et Sol. MSS. et Ic. 
Var. a; folis submembranaceis siccitate crispatis, dentibus majoribus subacutis. Hook. Ic. Plant. 
t. 631. 
Var. Ø. Colensoi; folis coriaceis, dentibus minoribus obtusis. Hook. Ic. Plant. t. 630. 
Has. Mountains of the Northern Island, Banks and Solander, ete. Common in the Middle Island, 
Bidwill. Nat. name, “Tawai,” Bidwill. “Black Birch” of the colonists. (Cultivated in England.) 
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