A hardy subalpine species with tiny sweet-smelling leaves.

Native to the southern Andes to Cape Horn. Introduced c.1830. Uncommon in north-west Europe.

Monoecious. Deciduous. Wind-pollinated. Wind-dispersed.

Medium (20m), rarely straight-stemmed, even prostrate in extreme sites. Bark dark chocolate-brown with pale horizontal lenticel bands, soon developing elongated scaly plates. Twigs slender (1-2mm), dark brown, densely downy, with pale lenticels. Foliage flushes early, sweetly cinnamon-scented. Leaves tiny (1-3cm), ovate or triangular, crinkled, glossy and apparently evergreen but fully deciduous, with blunt finely serrate teeth. Male catkins in clusters of 1-3; fruit a four-valved capsule (6mm) with three nutlets.

Very hardy and tolerant of almost any site, but avoid strongly alkaline soils.

No notable associations where introduced.

Generally healthy.

An interesting ornamental specimen, which when grown in full sun can flower profusely. Perhaps the hardiest species of all southern beeches, deserving to be more widely planted.