The Tkees of Vermont lUl 



BETULACEAE 



Yellow Biicli. Oray Birch 

 Betula lutea Alichx. f. 



Habit.— A tree 60-80 feet high and 2-4 feet in trunk diameter; 

 numerous slender, pendulous branches form a broad, open, rounded 

 crown. 



Leaves. — Alternate, soHtary or in pairs, simple, 3-5 inches long 

 and one-half as broad; ovate to oblong-ovate; sharply doubly serrate; 

 dull dark green above, yellow-green beneath ; petioles short, slender, 

 grooved, hairy ; slightly aromatic. 



Flowers. — April-May, before the leaves ; monoecious ; the stam- 

 inate catkins 3-4 inches long, slender, pendent, purplish yellow ; the 

 pistillate catkins sessile or nearly so, erect, almost 1 inch long, greenish. 



Fruit. — Ripens in autumn ; sessile or short-stalked, erect, glabrous 

 strobiles, about 1 inch long and half as thick ; scales downy on the back 

 and edges ; nut about as broad as the wing. 



Winter-buds. — Terminal bud absent ; lateral buds about 34 i»ch 

 long, conical, acute, chestnut-brown, more or less appressed ; bud-scales 

 more or less pubescent. 



Bark. — Twigs, branches and young stems smooth, very lustrous, 

 silvery gray or light orange ; becoming silvery yellow-gray as the trunk 

 expands and breaking into strips more or less curled at the edges ; old 

 trunks becoming gray or blackish, dull, deeply and irregularly fissured 

 into large, thin plates ; somewhat aromatic, slightly bitter. Plate III. 



Wood. — Heavy, very strong and hard, close-grained, light brown 

 tinged with red, with thin, whitish sapwood. Page 227. 



Distribution. — Frequent throughout Vermont, especially on the 

 mountain slopes up to 1,000 feet altitude. 



Habitat. — Rich, cool soils; mountain slopes; borders of swamps. 



Notes. — The polished silvery yellow bark of the mature tree marks 

 the yellow birch almost as clearly as does the red-brown bark in the 

 case of the preceding species. On the oldest trees in the primeval 

 forest, however, the bark becomes a darker bronze and rough. It is 

 common in nearly all parts of Vermont, but especially in rich, cool soils, 

 and it extends far up the sides of our higher mountains. During the 

 winter the little catkins remain tightly closed, but by May they lengthen 

 into slender, drooping catkins. Yellow birch lumber is valuable for 

 many purposes. It takes a beautiful polish, and is becoming increas- 

 ingly popular for furniture and for flooring. Because of its graceful 

 form and attractive, yellow bark, it merits more general usage for or- 

 namental planting. 



