92 



Casuarinas have much the appearance of Cypress and 

 Pine, and they show some details common to these. The 

 structure of their organs and tissues is, however, very dif- 

 ferent, and there is probably no true relationship. 



Beech is unfortunately known as Myrtle, which gives 

 quite an erroneous idea of its relationship. It belongs to 

 an order rare in Australia, but which provides the greatest 

 part of the forest of the Northern Hemisphere. Beech, 

 Oak, Walnut, Willow, Poplar, and many other genera of 

 trees are its relatives. 



Our common Beech is a medium-sized tree, with ever- 

 green foliage. The leaves are dark-green, thick, about 

 half on inch long, roughly triangular, and marked on the 

 margin with few coarse serrations. The flowers are obscure, 

 and not often observed. Stamens and pistils, as in all the 

 order, are in separate flowers. The staminate flowers are 

 formed close in the axils of the leaves towards the ends 

 of the branches. There are generally a few together; each 

 has a small six-lobed cup-like perianth, and about eight 

 pendulous stamens. The pistillate flowers are also small, 

 axillary, and near the ends of the branches. Three minute 

 flowers are formed within many bracts, the four inner of 

 which enlarge and enclose the fruits, which are small, 

 flat, or three- winged membraneous nuts. 



A parasitic fungus is often found growing upon the 

 branches, which it causes to grow into knobs. It is about 

 the size of a pigeon's egg, is apricot-coloured, and marked 

 all over by pits. It is edible, but tasteless. 



In Fuegia there are Beeches closely allied to ours, and, 

 strange to say, they also have parasites very like but dis- 

 tinct from ours. 



We have a second Beech which is confined to the 

 mountains of the western half of Tasmania. It has gener- 

 ally the habit of a very spreading wiry bush. It sheds 

 its leaves in winter, which is an interesting fact, as it is 

 the only native that does so. Some of the Beeches of 

 Fuegia also do this. Those of the Northern Hemisphere 

 always have this habit. The leaves are of a rather pale 

 blue-green, and are deeply sulcate on the surface. The 

 flowers and fruit do not differ in any material way from 

 those of our common Beech. 



Beeches very similar to ours are found in New Zealand 

 and Fuegia. No members of the genus are found in the 

 tropics or warmer temperate zones. This and a similar 

 distribution of many other plants lends some weight to 



