I. ^^\^' ^ 



CUPULIFER^. ,t ;|^^^j 





BETULEM. 





THE BIRCH. 



BETULUS. 



B. alba, the common birch, is certainly one 

 of the most ornamental of our forest trees. The 

 silvery white bark, the long pendulous masses of 

 spray that hang from its delicate brown branchlets, 

 and the airiness of its foliage, give it a light and 

 exceedingly graceful appearance. 



BetidecE are a small group of well known trees, 

 comprising the various kinds of birch and alder. 



The leaves of the birch unfold in April. They 

 are ovate, and pointed at the ends, with the edges 

 serrated. The male catkins show very early in 

 the spring, generally in pairs ; the females are 

 solitary, and much later. The birch is continu- 

 ally unpeeling its outer bark, and this renders 

 the tree well suited for planting in towns. In 

 matured trees the bark on the lower part of the 

 stem frequently becomes deeply furrowed ; the 

 foliage exudes a peculiarly sweet smell, especially 

 in spring and after showers. 



The curious growth of matted twigs, resembling 



