Nothofagus starkenborghiorum

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Nothofagus starkenborghiorum
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fagales
Family: Nothofagaceae
Genus: Nothofagus
Subgenus: Nothofagus subg. Brassospora
Species:
N. starkenborghiorum
Binomial name
Nothofagus starkenborghiorum
Steenis (1952) [2]
Synonyms [2]

Trisyngyne starkenborghiorum(Steenis) Heenan & Smissen (2013)

Contents

Nothofagus starkenborghiorum is a species of tree in the family Nothofagaceae. It is native to New Guinea and New Britain. [2] It grows in montane rain forests, and occasionally in lowland rain forests. [1] [3]

Description

Nothofagus starkenborghiorum is a monoecious tree, which grows to over 30 meters tall, with a trunk that can exceed 1 meter in diameter. Young leaves are bright reddish-brown. It fruits and flowers in October and November. [4]

Range and habitat

Nothofagus starkenborghiorum has a wide distribution across the highlands of New Guinea, extending from the Vogelkop Peninsula in the west across the Central Range to the Papuan Peninsula in the southeast. It is also found in the montane forests of New Britain's highlands. It generally grows in lower montane forest above 1000 meters elevation, but is sometimes found at lower elevations – as low as 610 meters on New Britain, and 700–800 m at Lake Kutubu in Southern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea. [3]

In lower montane forests it often grows on ridges and on limestone soils. It is typically the dominant canopy tree, or forms monodominant stands in mixed montane forests, and less often grows in mixed species forests. Nothofagus resinosa has a similar distribution to N. starkenborghiorum, and the two species are often found in association. [1] Nothofagus forest is generally found above a lower montane belt of oak relatives Castanopsis and Lithocarpus (family Fagaceae). The transition between the fagaceous forests and Nothofagus forests is often abrupt, and less often the forest types intergrade or intersperse. N. starkenborghiorum can form large monotypic stands, including a 60,000 hectare stand on the limestone Nakanai Plateau of New Britain. [3]

On New Guinea Nothofagus forest usually has an understory of smaller trees, shrubs, lianas, and herbaceous plants. On New Britain N. starkenborghiorum stands often have a sparse understory composed mostly of ferns. [3]

Nothofagus forest usually extends up to 3000 meters, where it transitions to upper montane forest typically dominated by conifers. [3] N. starkenborghiorum grows with N. brassii in montane forest around Lake Habbema in the Jayawijaya Range of Western New Guinea from about 2000 to 3000 meters elevation, and in mossy forest from approximately 3,000 to 3,500 meters elevation. It is less common than N. brassii in mossy forest. [4]

Uses

The tree is used for timber. It has rose-colored outer wood and brown inner wood. It is known by the Indonesian vernacular name sagé merah, with sagé as the local name for the tree and merah meaning red. It is used by local people for houses and fences, and logged commercially. Since the 2000s it has been the target of massive illegal logging in parts of its range. [4]

The Dani people of the Baliem Valley in western New Guinea use the leaves and bark of N. starkenborghiorum and N. brassii (both known locally as sagé) to treat many chronic illnesses with symptoms resembling cancer and degenerative diseases. [4]

Nothofagus starkenborghiorum may contain Nothofagin, a chemical constituent also found in N. fusca from New Zealand. Nothofagin is a dihydrochalcone, a phenolic antioxidant and C-linked phloretin glucoside, which may account for its efficacy in traditional medicine. [4]

Related Research Articles

<i>Nothofagus</i> Genus of plants

Nothofagus, also known as the southern beeches, is a genus of 43 species of trees and shrubs native to the Southern Hemisphere in southern South America and east and southeast Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, and New Caledonia. The species are ecological dominants in many temperate forests in these regions. Some species are reportedly naturalised in Germany and Great Britain. The genus has a rich fossil record of leaves, cupules, and pollen, with fossils extending into the late Cretaceous period and occurring in Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica, and South America.

<i>Nothofagus truncata</i> Species of tree

Nothofagus truncata, or hard beech, is a species of tree endemic to New Zealand. Its common name derives from the fact that the timber has a high silica content, making it tough and difficult to saw. Hard beech is a tree up to 30m tall occurring in lowland and lower montane forest from latitude 35°S to 42°30'S, that is, from the north of the North Island southwards to Marlborough and south Westland in the South Island. In Taranaki it forms almost pure stands on the rugged sandstone country there and is partially deciduous, dropping many of its leaves at the end of the winter. N. truncata became known as Fuscospora truncata after 2013 in New Zealand.

<i>Phyllocladus hypophyllus</i> Species of conifer

Phyllocladus hypophyllus is a species of conifer in the family Podocarpaceae. It a tree native to Borneo, Sulawesi and the Maluku Islands (Indonesia), the Philippines, and New Guinea.

Podocarpus brassii is a species of conifer in the family Podocarpaceae. It is endemic to the island of New Guinea, which is divided between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Guinea Highlands</span> Natural region in New Guinea

The New Guinea Highlands, also known as the Central Range or Central Cordillera, is a long chain of mountain ranges on the island of New Guinea, including the island's tallest peak, Puncak Jaya, Indonesia, 16,024 ft (4,884 m), the highest mountain in Oceania. The range is home to many intermountain river valleys, many of which support thriving agricultural communities. The highlands run generally east-west the length of the island, which is divided politically between Indonesia in the west and Papua New Guinea in the east.

Nothofagus nuda is a species of plant in the family Nothofagaceae. It is endemic to Papua New Guinea. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Nothofagus stylosa is a species of plant in the family Nothofagaceae. It is endemic to West Papua (Indonesia). It is a Critically Endangered species threatened by habitat loss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Range montane rain forests</span> Ecoregion in New Guinea

The Central Range montane rain forests is a tropical moist forest ecoregion on the island of New Guinea. The ecoregion covers the Central Range of the New Guinea Highlands, which extends along the spine of the island. The montane rain forests of the ecoregion are distinct from the surrounding lowland forests, and are home to many endemic plants and animals.

Heptapleurum polycladum is a plant species endemic to in Papua New Guinea. It is an extant taxon. It is a scrambling tree which grows from 4 to 15 meters tall. It is likely pollinated by insects, and its fruit and seeds dispersed by birds.

Heptapleurum stramineum is a species of flowering plant in the family Araliaceae. It is a scrambling tree endemic to Papua New Guinea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Britain–New Ireland montane rain forests</span>

The New Britain–New Ireland montane rain forests is a tropical moist forest ecoregion in Papua New Guinea. The ecoregion includes the mountain rain forests on the islands of New Britain and New Ireland, which lie northeast of New Guinea.

Nothofagus brassii is a species of tree in the family Nothofagaceae. It is endemic to New Guinea. It is commonly known as Sagé, sagé hitam, sahé, and kayu sagé, kayu sagé hitam (Indonesian).

Nothofagus carrii is a species of tree in the family Nothofagaceae. It is endemic to New Guinea.

Nothofagus crenata is a species of tree in the family Nothofagaceae. It is endemic to New Guinea. It grows in lowland rain forest below 900 meters elevation.

Nothofagus grandis is a species of tree in the family Nothofagaceae. It is endemic to New Guinea. It grows in lower montane rain forests from 900 to 1,500 meters elevation.

Nothofagus perryi is a species of tree in the family Nothofagaceae. It is endemic to Papua New Guinea. It grows in montane rain forests from 1,500 to 2,500 meters elevation in central and southeastern Papua New Guinea.

Nothofagus pseudoresinosa is a species of tree in the family Nothofagaceae. It is endemic to Papua New Guinea. It grows in montane rain forests from 2,500 to 2,750 meters elevation in central and southeastern Papua New Guinea.

Nothofagus pullei is a species of tree in the family Nothofagaceae. It is endemic to New Guinea. It grows in montane rain forests from 2,350 to 3,200 meters elevation.

Nothofagus resinosa is a species of tree in the family Nothofagaceae. It is endemic to New Guinea. It grows in montane rain forests at around 1,560 meters elevation.

Nothofagus rubra is a species of tree in the family Nothofagaceae. It is endemic to New Guinea. It grows in montane rain forests.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Baldwin, H. (2018). "Nothofagus starkenborghiorum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018: e.T96478960A96480045. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-1.RLTS.T96478960A96480045.en . Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 "Nothofagus starkenborghiorum Steenis". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Read, Jennifer; Hope, Geoffrey S. (1996). "Ecology of Nothofagus forests of New Guinea and New Caledonia". In Veblen, Thomas T; Hill, Robert S.; Read, Jennifer (eds.). The Ecology and Biogeography of Nothofagus Forests. Yale University Press. pp. 200–256. ISBN   978-0-300-06423-0.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Keim, Ary Prihardhyanto; Sujarwo, Wawan (2021). "Nothofagus starkenborghiorum Steenis Nothofagaceae". Ethnobotany of the Mountain Regions of Southeast Asia. Cham: Springer International Publishing. p. 763–767. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-38389-3_236. ISBN   978-3-030-38388-6.
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