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Nothofagus gunnii is a deciduous shrub/small tree endemic to Tasmania, Australia, and the country’s only native temperate winter-deciduous tree. It is commonly known as the Deciduous Beech for this reason, or alternatively Tanglefoot because of its growth habit in exposed areas with twisted, ground hugging branches in a dense shrub.

Growth habit
Nothofagus gunnii grows as a small tree 1.5m to 5m high (depending on the severity of the conditions) in sub-alpine regions, but as a prostrate shrub, sprawling over boulders in alpine heathlands. In exposed areas it can grow as a wiry tangled shrub to 2.5m, forming impenetrable stands – the growth rate of these stands is very slow.

Leaves
Nothofagus gunnii has light green leaves, turning yellow, orange and red through autumn. The leaves are small, with a lamina 10 – 20mm long, and alternate, with round teeth and veins that lead to the gaps between the teeth.

Flowers and fruits
The Nothofagus gunnii flowers are small, and flower in December. The male inflorescence has 1-3 flowers and pendant stamens. The female inflorescence is 3-5mm long and egg-shaped, with 3 flowers and protruding styles, and wind pollenated. The fruit are small nuts in woody fruits and are 8mm long, with 4 valves made up of overlapping scales.

Distribution
There is a total of less than 10000 hectares of Nothofagus gunnii growing in the whole of Tasmania, predominantly around Mt. Field and Cradle Mountain in the west of the state. It grows in alpine heathlands and sub-alpine rainforest, and rarely below 800m, since it requires a very cold winter and 1800mm of rain each year.

Advantages and Adaptions
As the only winter-deciduous tree in Tasmania, in really cold winters, Nothofagus gunnii has a competitive advantage over other plants such as Nothofagus cunninghamii  at high altitudes. This is because the leaves do not need to be protected against the environment or predators in the harsh winter conditions.

In growing months, the leaves have higher amounts of nutrients than N. cunninghamii. In autumn, the chlorophyll in the leaves breaks down and a different pigment called anthocyanin takes over, resulting in the colour change from pale green to yellow or orange. As the leaves cease to take up further nutrients, the leaves fall to the ground, recycling any minerals they contain back into the soil for the next spring’s new growth. Anthocyanin also occurs in the bark of Eucalyptus coccifera, giving it its distinctive autumnal colour.

Status and Conservation
Nothofagus gunnii is very slow growing and only found in a limited area, as mentioned above. Its seeds do not do very well upon seed dispersal, surviving only a short time in the soil. They are only found within a 100m radius of the parent plant, as there is no adaption for wind dispersal.

The main threat to the species is fire, penetrating the thin bark and killing the adult trees, which do not regenerate. Nothofagus gunnii is very slow to grow back from a fire, and may not even recover as other plants with faster growth rates may take over. The species has a high light requirement (the highest of any Nothofagus species in Australia), and therefore cannot regenerate in closed forests, so it can be easily crowded out by competing species in some habitats after a fire. While the species is not listed as threatened or endangered, these factors show that care must be taken to preserve it, specifically in relation to fire hazards.