54 



Bulletin 73 



Bark white. 



Leaves nearly triangular, saw-tooth or lobed, long taper-pointed, bark 



c'.ose White Birch 



Leaves ovate, saw-toothed, bark in easily separable layers, often ragged. .Paper Birch 



Bark dark-browa or black, close, sweet, aromatic Sweet Birch 



Bark silvery-yellow, in layers, often ragged Yellow Birch 



Introduced species. — The European white birch (B. o76a) is commonly 

 planted for ornamental purposes. It is a beautiful tree closely resembling 

 the native white birch. Tliere are numerous horticultural varieties, some 

 with finely cut leaves and pendulous branches. 



WHITE BIRCH (gr.vy BIRCH ). Betula popuUfoUa Marsh. 



The white birch is at best but a 

 small, short-lived tree, but it grows 

 in such numbers that it is sure to 

 attract attention. The points which 

 distinguish this birch are its triang- 

 ular, slender, taper-pointed leaves, 

 smooth-shining on both sides, and 

 its smooth, close, creamy- white bark. f| 

 Both the staminate and the pistillate 

 catkins open before the leaves in the 

 spring. 



It is most abundant in the lighter 

 soils, either moist or dry in the 

 Champlain valley. It never reaches 

 the higher altitudes, 1800 feet being 

 the highest reported by Dr. Sargent. 

 In the Connecticut valley it is report 

 ed by Flint only as far north as Westmoreland, X. H. 



It never reaches sufficient size to become a valuable lumber tree, but its! 

 light elastic stem is always in demand for spools, shoe-pegs, and barrel- 

 hoops. 



The white birch with its white trunk and graceful branches and light, 

 delicate foliage is one of our most beautiful trees, but its desirability for 

 transplanting is lessened by its short life and liability to injury from 

 storm Si 



WHITE BIRCH 

 Leaves and fruit, X }i- 



PAPER BIRCH (cAXOE BIRCH ). Bctula papi/rifem Marsh. 



The paper birch is found in cool soils in all parts of the state, being 

 typically a tree of more northern distribution than is the last species. It is, 

 however, often intermingled with the white birch and is popularly confused 

 with it, although careful observation reveals many characteristics by which 



