30 
much shorter and a fully as seeing way of stating it. The base 
is rounded to cuneate, but we find the var. cordata has cordate 
leaves. So the less said ie the bases of the leaves the better. _ 
In 4. pendula the leaves are long-acuminate, and in alba taper- 
pointed, if taperpointed is not long or short acuminate there is 
nothing in the text to show it. In B. pendula the leaves are slend- 
Ean. meni Ae fertile catkins are 1.5-3 em. long anc 6-9mm. 
wide; in B. alba they are I.5-4.5cm. iong and 6-16min. wide, 
which is eo oa way of saying that in B. alba they are a little 
longer and wider. In B. pendula they are pendulous, 1 B. alba 
they are speeds ot drooping, a distinction that amounts to very 
little . pendula they are on unknown peduncles, in B. alba 
on ade: peduncles, which is also useless for comparison. In 
B. pendula the scale character is given in Italics which the authors 
. tell us is of special significance, but in B. alba the scale character _ 
- is not given in Italics and so again we have a see-saw description — 
of the “special character. In B. pendula the scales are ascending, — 
brown to straw colored, 3-5 mm. long, smooth except for the | 
ciliate edge. In B. alba they are also ascending (a character that _ 
therefore does not belong in either description but belongs in the : 
key above), mostly ciliate-edged, a character that aiso belongs in 
the key above, nothing said about the smoothness. 3-7 nim. jong 2 
in ee words a trifle longer normally. 
A revised description of the two species that contains all the 
=e 
oa 
| 
3 
7 
Pier ate Moe atta Sed) FA. i cai ain leer CMA Chi 8 Og ide | he TS ee! Dae OL hy edad eas 
essential ve as given in the text would be about as foliows: 
Betula pendula. Twigs very resinous-warty. without hairs, 
Ssvne: Leaves broadly ovate to deltoid, not hairy. Fertile 
catkins ].5-4.5 cm. long, 6-9-mm. wide. 
Betula nite. Twigs not very resinous-warty, hairy Chairs 
sometimes minute), more ascending. Leaves ovate. hau y below. 
Fertile aoe a little longer and wider 
n’s Flora we will take the first two species of birc 
populifolia is a slender tree reaching 45° high and with 
1:5? thick Sun. while B. papyrifera is 80° high and wit’ 3° thick 
served for the next eenkence: We are informed that the bar 
