Curtis Botanical – Plate 8314 – Antarctic Beech / Ñire

Original antique black-and-white botanical print from Curtis's Botanical Magazine — Plate 8314.

Plant: Nothofagus antarctica var. Uliginosa (Antarctic Beech / Ñire). Native to: Patagonia / Tierra del Fuego (southernmost South America).

The southernmost beech tree on Earth. Its simultaneous presence in South America, Australia, and New Zealand is physical evidence of Gondwana — the ancient supercontinent. Turns brilliant orange and red in the sub-Antarctic autumn wind at the tip of the world.

Printed in London. Each print is an original page removed from a bound volume of Curtis's Botanical Magazine, the world's oldest continuously published botanical journal (founded 1787). Uncolored plate. Sold individually. Minor age-related toning consistent with 19th-century paper.

This plate originated with the Royal Horticultural Society and passed through Wheldon & Wesley, one of the great natural history dealers of the 20th century. We came into the archive by accident and have spent the time since trying to share it as widely as we can.