THE BLACK BIRCH OR CHERRY BIRCH 



THE popular names of this species are more fortunate than in the case of most 

 trees having more than one such appellation. It is the Black Birch because 

 the bark of the trunk is very dark, much more distinctly black than that of 

 any of the other birches. It is the Sweet Birch because the tender bark of the young 

 twigs has a pleasing and aromatic taste, which has led it to become well known to every 

 country dweller throughout its range. It is the Cherry Birch because of the general resem- 

 blance of the tree to the Cherry. 



In addition to the black, comparatively smooth bark of the trunk this tree may 

 be known by the finely serrate, heart-shaped leaves which commonly appear on the ends 

 of short twigs in groups of two or three. The pollen-bearing catkins develop early in the 

 spring, having extraordinary length and producing a vast quantity of greenish-yellow pollen 

 which is scattered far and wide by the wind, some of it falling upon the florets of the erect, 

 seed-bearing catkins projecting along the sides of the branches of the same or other trees. 

 The latter develop late in the season into erect, broad, fruiting catkins, which are generally 

 shorter than those of the Canoe Birch. The trees commonly attain a large size and occur 

 in a great variety of situations. They seem to thrive best on damp hillsides, or in other 

 places where there is a moderate amount of moisture. The species is widely distributed 

 from Nova Scotia to Minnesota, south to Kansas and Delaware, and extends along the 

 mountains through the Southern States. 



It was given its technical name, Betula lenta, by the great Linnaeus. It is a useful 

 tree for planting in parks and on home grounds, developing in the open a wide, symmet- 

 rical head which is very attractive. 



In the far West there is a tree sometimes called the Western Black Birch (Betula 

 fontinalis) which occurs in the mountain canons. It is not a tall species, seldom if ever 

 exceeding forty feet in height. 



(roi) 



