Plate CXXII. Fig. 1, male flower; fig. 2, involucre and female flower; fig. 3, transverse section of ditto, more advanced ; fig. 4, ripe achaeniuin ; fig. 5, the same ; fig. 6, involucre after the achamia have fallen away : — all magnified.
2. Fagus obliqua, Mirb., Mem. Mus. Hist. Nat. vol. xiv. p. 465. t.
4. Hook. Bot. Journ. vol. ii. p. 153.
Hab. Strait of Magalhaens ; Port Famine, Capt. King.
This I take to be the third kind of Beech alluded to by Capt. King as a native of Port Famine, in his collections, however, no specimen of the present species occurs. It is distinguishable from the former chiefly by the larger, narrower, rhomboidal, more acute leaves.
3. Fagus Pumilio, Poepp. et Endlicher, Nov. Gen. et Sp. Plant. Per. et Chili, vol. ii. p. 68. t. 195. Hook, in Journ. Bot. vol. ii. p. 154. Calusparassus Pumilio (?), Homb. et Jacq. in Toy. au Pole Sud, Bot. Bicot. t. 8. *.
Hab. Strait of Magalhaens ; Port Famine (?), Caj)t. King.
I have alluded to this Beech (under F. Antarctica) as perhaps only a state of that plant, differing in the leaves being pubescent on both surfaces and more closely and deeply serrated. The figure of Poeppig and Endlicher is excellent ; that of MM. Hombron and Jaequinot, in the 'Voy. au Pole Sud ', represents a narrower and smaller-leaved, perhaps, alpine state ; or more probably a different species, those authors having included it in their not yet described genus Calusparassus. Judging from their figures of other Antarctic Fagi, also called Calusparassi, the genus appears to include only those evergreen species of which the leaves are not phcate in vernation, which those of the F. Pumilio decidedly are, both in our specimens and those described and figured by Poeppig.
The latter author states this to be a short prostrate tree, eight and twelve feet long, with a mode of growth not unlike that of Pinus Pumilio. It marks (in Chili) the transition zone, from the erect trees, whose superior limit is indicated by the F. alpina, to the frigid region, where snow hes for eight months of the year, and where the shrubby Composite, and the Violets that grow in dense capitate tufts, and other handsome plants, abound.
I have marked the habitat assigned to Capt. King's specimen with a query, the label attached to it bearing " Cape Fairweather ", where it is exceedingly improbable that any Fagus should exist.
3. Fagus betuloides, Mirb., Mem. dm Mm. vol. xiv. p. 465. t. 4. Hook. Journ. Bot. vol. ii. p. 153. F. dubia, Mirb. et Hook. I. c. F. Forsteri, Hook. I. c. p. 156. t. viii. Calusparassus Forsteri, Homb. et Jacq. in Voy. au Pole Sud, Bot. Monocot. P/iau. t. 6. 2. C. betuloides, Homb. et Jacq. 1. c. Bot. Bicot. t. 7. f. r. Betula Antarctica, Forst. Comm. Goett. vol. ix. p. 45. Willd. Sp. PI. vol. iv. p. 466. Banks et Sol. in Bib!. Banks, cum icone. (Tab. CXXIV.)
Hab. South Chili to Cape, Horn, very abundant ; Commerson, Banks and Solander, Forster, and all succeediug voyagers.
The synonyms above enumerated certainly all belong to one species, the common Evergreen Beech of Fuegia, and I incline to add the F. alpina, Poepp. aud Eudbcher, as stated at p. 347.
Plate CXXIV. Fig. 1, male flower; fig. 2, involucre with female flowers ; fig. 3 and 4, female flowers removed from ditto ; fig. 5 and 6, longitudinal sections of the same, showing the ovules ; fig. 7, involucre, after the achaenia have fallen away : — all magnified.
