THE BEECH 123 



If, on the other hand, Fagus originated in the Asiatic region it 

 would have had an almost latitudinal pathway with broad and 

 uniform land surfaces both westward to Europe and eastward to 

 western North America, the latter region almost entirely cut off 

 from eastern North America by an epicontinental sea. The pres- 

 ence of petrified beech wood in the Cretaceous of Japan, of Germany 

 and in the Eocene of the Caucasus, as well as leaves in the Creta- 

 ceous of Vancouver Island and in the Eocene of Alaska and 

 the early Tertiary of AustraKa would similarly accord with this 

 hypothesis of its center of radiation better than any other. 



The Eocene records also embrace various North American and 

 European forms which offer no difficulties on such a theory, nor 

 do the numerous succeeding Ohgocene and Miocene species of the 

 northern hemisphere. The antipodean records, of which there 

 are a considerable number, seem at first thought to offer greater 

 difficulties. In deposits the age of which is unfortunately some- 

 what uncertain but which are either Eocene or Oligocene, 4 

 species of Fagus are found in southern South America — three in 

 Chile and 3 in Terra del Fuego and a fifth is found on the edge 

 of the Antarctic continent in Graham Land. They are, in all of 

 these locaUties, associated with an abundant display of Nothofagus, 

 no less than 10 species from Chile, Patagonia, Terra del Fuego and 

 Graham Land having been described by Engelhardt and Dusen. 

 The Tertiary species of Fagus in the Austrahan region are likewise 

 associated with four or five species of Nothofagus. Another species 

 is found in Tasmania and there are several in the outlying region 

 of New Zealand, one of the latter being common to eastern Australia. 



It would be an attractive hypothesis to consider Fagus as of 

 northern origin and Nothofagus as having originated independently 

 on the broad bosom of the Antarctic continent, from whence it 

 spread northward into southern South America on the one hand^ 

 Tasmania and eastern Australia on the other, and to New Zealand 

 by a third route from the south northward. Such a theory would 

 be in accord with many recent discussions of geographical distri- 

 bution. It would almost certainly be suggested by plant geog- 

 raphers who lacked any knowledge of antecedent floras by the 



