Southern Beeches

The southern beeches — genus Nothofagus and their close relatives in the Nothofagaceae — are among the great living markers of the ancient Gondwana supercontinent. Surviving species are found today across South America, Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia, a distribution that traces the outline of a landmass that broke apart tens of millions of years ago. They are trees with a lineage reaching back some 90 million years, valued for their refined foliage, cool-climate adaptability and the depth of natural history they bring to a garden.

Our Southern Beeches collection spans the range we grow at Sequoia Valley Farms: the Australian myrtle beech (Nothofagus cunninghamii) and the rare Antarctic beech (Nothofagus moorei); the New Zealand red and silver beeches (Nothofagus fusca and Nothofagus menziesii); and the fast-growing South American species (Nothofagus obliqua, Nothofagus alpina and the drought-adapted Nothofagus glauca). Most are raised here from seed, propagated with methods refined over years of trial in the Southern Highlands.

To understand these remarkable trees more deeply — their Gondwanan story, how we propagate them, and how to grow them well — read our Journal guide, The Beech That Remembers.