Kingdom: Plantae
(Unranked): Angiosperms
(Unranked): Eudicots
(Unranked): Rosids
Order: Fagales
Family: Nothofagaceae
Genus: Fuscospora
Species: F. truncata.
Binomial name: Fuscospora truncata.
Synonyms: Fagus truncata, Nothofagus truncata
Common name: Hard Beech, Tawhairaunui
Fuscospora truncata is a species of tree endemic to New Zealand. Its common name hard beech derives from the fact that its wood has a high silica content, making it hard and difficult to saw.
Hard Beech is a tree up to 30m tall occurring in lowland and lower montane forest from lat. 35°S to 42°30'S, that is, from the north of the North Island to Marlborough and south Westland in the South Island.
In north Taranaki hard beech occupies much of the rugged sandstone country, forming almost pure stands.
It is partly deciduous in late winter/early spring. The coriaceous (leathery) ovate hairless glossy leaves range from 2.5 to 4 cm long and have from 8 to 12 pairs of coarse blunt teeth. There are no domatia (small depressions partly enclosed by leaf tissue or hairs) on the under surface of the leaf. Its trunk has bark that is thick, furrowed and a slate grey.
It develops lots of tiny red male bell-shaped flowers. Clusters of 3 flowered female are on stalks. The green-brown tipped flowers are between the leaves and stems.
The wood is red when cut and it dries to light brown. It is harder than other beeches. Its bark full of tannin and was used for leather tanning. The woods past uses were for bridges, posts, poles and railway sleepers.
Photograph was taken in the Buller Gorge, Westland, New Zealand.
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Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
