State Board of Forestry. 157 



thick as long, erect or ascending, sessile or on very short stalks; 

 scales very variable, 5-11 mm. (1/5-3/^ inch) long, generally about 8 

 mm. (1/3 inch) long, usually about J4 longer than wide, sometimes 

 wide as long, densely pubescent on the back, less so at the tips, 

 glabrous or nearly so on the inside, ciliate, occasionally with brown 

 or black glands on the margin, commonly lobed to more than 1/3 of 

 their length, the lobes ascending or divaricate, the lateral generally 

 the larger and almost as long as the narrower middle lobe; nuts 

 divested of the wings, slightly obovate, about 3 mm. Cf/g inch) long, 

 wings about 2/3 as wide as the nut and usually with a fringe of 

 hairs at the very blunt apex. 



Distribution. Newfoundland west to Manitoba, south to Dela- 

 ware and southern Indiana, and in the Alleghany Mountains south 

 to Georgia. In Indiana it is rare and local. It is found in the 

 northern counties in colonies on the borders of lakes, in tamarack 

 swamps and wet woods. It has not been reported south of Miami 

 County except in Crawford County, where it appears on the cliffy 

 sides of a deep ravine about 1 mile east of Taswell. In the northern 

 part of the State it is associated with the black ash, white elm, tama- 

 rack, silver-leaf maple and red elderberry. In Crawford County it 

 is found on the sides of the dry cHffs, associated with the hemlock 

 and laurel (Kalmia latifolia).'^ 



In our area this species of birch is not a large tree. In the north- 

 ern part of the state it sometimes attains a height of 15 m. (45 

 feet); and a diameter of 4-6 dm. (24-39 inches). The trunks are 

 short, usually 2-4 m. (6-12 feet) long. 



This species by different authors has been variously called Betula 

 lenta, Betula alleghanensis and Be<ula lutea. However it appears 

 to be a regional form of the later species, and the preceding botani- 

 cal description has been made from copious Indiana material, col- 

 lected from several parts of the state, and drawn to cover only the 

 form occurring in our area. 



Betula lenta does not occur in our area and the records for its 

 distribution in Indiana should be referred to Betula lutea. Dr. 

 Schneck and Ridgway reported Betula lenta as occurring in the 

 lower Wabash Valley but an examination of Dr. Schneck's herba- 

 rium material failed to reveal a specimen. It is beheved this In- 

 diana reference should be referred to lutea. 



Transferring the lenta references, the published records of the 

 distribution are as follows: Fulton (Hessler) a few in a tamarack 



*This is the only known station for the laurel in Indiana, though it is said to occur in Floyd 

 County west of New Albany. It literally covers the banks of the ravine near Taswell and sometimes 

 attains a height of 5 m. (15 feet) and a diameter of 7 cm. (3 inches). 



