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YELLOW BIRCH {Betula liitea Michx.) 



THE yellow birch is confined to our cool, high 

 mountain slopes, generally at greater elevations 

 than the black birch, from which it can usually be 

 distinguished by its bark. It is a large tree, often 

 with a short or crooked trunk, occasionally reaching 

 a height of 100 feet and a diameter of 4 feet. 



The bark on the trunk and large branches is sil- 

 very or yellow-gray, with thin papery layers sepa- 



YELLOW BIRCH 

 One-half natural size. 



rating and often curling at the edges, giving the 

 trunk a ragged appearance. The twigs are light 

 brown, lustrous and slightly aromatic, but less so 

 than those of the black birch. 



The leaves are simple, alternate, oval or approxi- 

 mately oblong, doubly and finely toothed, 3 to 5 

 inches long, dark green and lusterless on the upper 

 surface. 



The flowers are in catkins; the male, or stami- 

 nate catkins, purplish and visible all the winter 

 previous to opening; the female, or pistillate, cat- 

 kins greenish, erect, shorter and thicker than those 

 of the black birch, and developing in the spring. 



The wood is heavy, strong, hard, close-grained 

 and light brown in color. It is used for flooring, 

 woodenware, furniture, and other uses, but is con- 

 sidered inferior to the black birch. It is prized as 



firewood. 



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