OF ORXAMEXTAL TREES. 77 



ternate, the middle ones bearing the stamens. 

 Pistillate aments ovate oblong ; scales trifid, 

 3-flowered. Seeds (or fruit) with a mem 

 branous edge. 



1. BETULA ALBA, Linnaeus. Leaves ovate, 

 acuminate, serrate. Stem covered with white 

 bark. White birch. Native of the North of 

 Europe. 



The bark gives this a peculiar character ; 

 and the slender drooping branchlets, and 

 elegant shining green foliage, combine to 

 render it one of the handsomest of trees. 



There is but one specimen referred to this 

 species at Bartram, but it so closely resembles 

 B.populifolia as to require a nice examina 

 tion to determine it.* 



It will thrive in the most barren soils where 

 little else will grow, the roots extending just 

 beneath the surface, and probably drawing 

 much of their sustenance from the atmo 

 sphere. This circumstance renders them 

 very easy to transplant, and where any kind 



* The nomenclature of the Birches is in great con 

 fusion among practical men. They are worth a closer 

 study. 



7* 



