BETULA 



259 



heart-shaped base, ordinarily 3 to 4 ins. long, but on young trees often over 

 5 ins. long ; hairy along the midrib and veins beneath ; veins in seven to ten 

 pairs. The tree is no doubt closely allied to the paper birch, but Sargent, who 

 regards it as specifically distinct, distinguishes it by its downy, fruiting scales, 

 its brown bark, its larger size and bigger leaves. Trees introduced in recent 

 years are growing admirably A native of British Columbia and Washington, 



inhabiting moist situa- 

 tions. The tree recently 

 put into cultivation as 

 " B. macrophylla " is 

 either this species or a 

 form of B. papyrifera. 



B. MAXIMOWICZII, 

 Regel. 



(Bot. Mag., t. 83370 



A tree So to 100 ft. 

 high; young shoots 



brown, warty, not downy; the bark of the older wood 

 and trunk orange-brown, becoming ultimately grey 

 or whitish. Leaves heart-shaped, pointed, 3 to 6 ins. 

 long, three - fourths as wide ; doubly toothed, dark 

 green, downy at first, ultimately smooth above, downy in 

 the vein-axils beneath ; veins in ten to twelve pairs ; 

 stalk I to 1 1 ins. long. Male catkins 4 or 5 ins. long. 

 Fruiting catkins 2 to 2^ ins. long, J in. wide, in racemes 

 of two to four ; scales smooth, middle lobe longer and 

 narrower than the side lobes. Seed-wings large. 



Native of Japan ; introduced by Prof. Sargent in 

 1893. This fine birch is distinguished by the leaves 

 being larger than those of any other species. I have 

 measured them 7 ins. long by 5 ins. wide. The habit 

 of young trees is rather open, and the branching stiff. 

 It is a quick grower, very hardy, and altogether one 

 of the best of its kind. Very distinct in its large leaves 

 and racemose female catkins. 



B. MEDWEDIEWI, Regel. 



Little is known of this birch in cultivation as yet. 

 It was introduced to Kew from Tiflis in 1897, and put 

 into commerce by Spath of Berlin in 1906. It comes 

 from the region south of the Caucasus range, and first 

 came under botanical notice about 1886. It is a tree of 

 goodly height, erect-branched, young shoots partially 

 hairy, with a few long, narrow lenticels. Winter buds 

 very large and distinct, bright glossy green, narrowly ovoid and pointed, with 

 ciliate scales ; on vigorous shoots the buds are \ in. long. Leaves ovate to 

 roundish, 2 to 4 ins. long, i to 3 ins. wide; rounded or slightly heart-shaped 

 at the base, pointed, irregularly toothed ; dark green above, and smooth or 

 with a few hairs only on the midrib and the eight to eleven pairs of sunken 

 veins, which are also slightly hairy beneath ; stalk to in. long, hairy. 

 Fruit-catkins stalked, erect, i to i^ ins. long ; scales \ in. long, with some 

 hairs on the margins, the middle lobe twice as long as the side ones. Seeds 

 with narrow wings. Young cultivated specimens have probably larger and 



BETULA MAXIMOWICZII. 

 (Male catkins.; 



