Location: Cradle Mountain, Tasmania, Australia
Feature: Deciduous Southern Beech, Nothofagus Gunnii (commonly known as ‘The Fagus')
It was when I stumbled across the Wildflowers of Tasmania book by Norton Harvey from the 70s… I first heard about ‘The Fagus’. Part of my fascination with Tasmania has always been the incredible flora that I knew I’d able to witness there, and yet, I hadn’t heard of this special tree and it’s world-renowned autumn foliage until I arrived.
The Fagus - a scientific treasure
The Fagus is world renowned as one of the oldest genera of flowering trees in the world with a fossil record stretching back 80 million years. A deciduous beech, the Fagus turns a spectacular range of autumn colours, from rust red through to brilliant gold, during late April and May. The leaves eventually fall to the ground as a response to long, dark winters. Only in the remote, wet highland areas of Tasmania - where losing leaves is still a good defence against winter frosts and snow - has this rare southern beech survived. Tree fossils studied by scientists reinforce evidence that Tasmania was once connected to New Zealand and South America by a land bridge through the Antarctic continent 100 million years ago.
Cradle Mountain and The Future of the Fagus
I was lucky enough to meet the Fagus on my recent trip to Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park.
Part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, the park features ancient pines fringing glacial lakes, and rugged mountains lined in autumn by the colours of the Fagus. It is understood that the fungii that grows on species of the Nothofagus in Tasmania was sought after by indigenous peoples and eaten raw.
Viewing the Fagus in April this year, after a steep climb from the Overland Track was simply magical. Looking down from the viewing platform at Dove Lake you can see why thousands flock to see the Autumn ‘Turning of the Fagus’ leaves year after year in Autumn.
The trees in their brilliant, dense mass surrounding the national park are incredibly beautiful. However, despite their lush appearance in Cradle Mountain, they are difficult to regenerate. It is understood that the biggest issue facing the extinction of the The Fagus is fire.
The tree's main option after a fire is to gradually re-invade a site from the edge where other Deciduous Beech might remain. Regeneration is difficult if huge swathes of the tree are wiped out.
In alpine regions on Mt Read in Tasmania, areas of Deciduous Beech that were burnt haven't begun regenerating after 60 years. An ABC article explains that Fagus stands which were recently destroyed by the 2019 fires may take 1000 years to recover.
Sought by Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank Partnership - an effort to combat climate change
A sought after plant across the globe, scientists at Kew's £80 million Millennium Seed Bank Partnership (MSBP), attempted to grow the Nothofagus Gunnnii in West Sussex, the UK as part of their important research on global plant life faced with the threat of extinction, and plants of most use for the future.
As part of the MSBP, two of Kew's botanists went to Tasmania to bring back the seeds. Only two of the seedlings survived. One died off in the grounds and the other was stolen.
The elusive stolen tree was never again discovered. If it had again been found, keen botanists would have identified the species in an instant. Whilst it may still be located somewhere in the UK, the sapling is unlikely to have survived this unusual theft due to the disturbance caused in the removal of this already vulnerable sapling.
The Kew Millennium Seed Bank Partnership project continues to prioritise plant species from alpine, dryland, coastal and island ecosystems, which research shows, are most vulnerable to climate change.
Let’s hope future seedlings will survive further research by this important work.
Till next time, keep your eyes and ears out for all of the plant things. I’d love to hear from you.
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Sources/Quotes:
https://www.discovertasmania.com.au/about/national-parks-and-wilderness/cradle-mountain-lake-st-clair-national-park
http://www.anbg.gov.au/gardens/visiting/exploring/aboriginal-trail/
https://www.discovertasmania.com.au/about/articles/fagus-tasmanias-deciduous-beech
https://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2000/04/01/2662876.htm