The ecology of Nothofagus solandri

Abstract

Summary The range of Nothofagus solandri is from the northern tip of the Raukumara Range in the North Island to the northern shore of Fouveaux Strait in the South Island of New Zealand, but within this range there are several large areas from which the species is notably absent or very rare. The most prominent of these are the southern Ruahine and northern Tararua Ranges in the North Island, and the mid-west and south-east of the South Island. The species probably has a wider tolerance to conditions of low rainfall, high altitude, low soil fertility, and poor soil drainage than most other New Zealand tree species. It forms the highest forests in the country where it may sometimes grow as a tree at altitudes exceeding 5,000 ft. It is usually the sole dominant in the driest forests in the country and may grow naturally where the rainfall is less than 40 in. per annum. It may occur as a dwarfed shrub on sites where soil development is restricted to narrow crevices in otherwise solid rock, and it is often one...