416 NEW EXGLAXD TF.EES IX AVIXTER. 



YELLOW BIRCH 

 Silver or Gray Birch. 



Betula liitea ;\Iiclix. f. 



HAIUT — A large tree 60-90 ft. in height with trunk diameter of 

 2--i ft., reacliing- its largest size in ni.irthern New Eng-land; in the open 

 branching- low down with long- slender wide spreading- somewhat 

 pendulous branches forming a broadly ovate to hemisplierical head, 

 older trees than the one ph<..tographed g-enerally show a broader outline 

 w i t li t li e trunk less c li n s p i e u v u s 1 .\" e o n t i n u o u s into the head. 



BARK — On young' trunks and branches close, brig-ht. silvery-yellow- 

 ish g-ray, generally at length peeling into thin ribbon-like layers which 

 roll back and extend up the trunk in long lines of ragged fringe. There 

 is consideraljle variation in the amount of peeling of the outer bark. A 

 well marked condition of peeling is shown in the bark photographed; 

 the bark of the tree used ftjr the habit showed scarcely any peeling. On 

 older trunks especially toward the base the silvery bark is entirely 

 shed and tlie bark below shows reddish-brown and becomes rough and 

 fissured into irregular plate-like scales. 



TAVIGS — Slender, light \"i-llLiwish-l:ir< iwii, becoining darker, smooth or 

 some-^'hat hair\" ; "with i mi ly slight ^\■interg^ef n !la\"or ^^'hen chewed ; 

 short spur- like lateral branches abundant, simila r to tli':'se of Black 

 Birch. LENTICELS — pale, raised dots, inconspicuous, becoming horizon- 

 tally elongated T\"ith age. 



Lr:AF-SC.VR.S — Alternate. 2-ranked. similar to those of Black Birch. 



ni'DS — Similar to those of Black Bireh, more or less appressed. 

 BUD-SCALES — more or less down^-. 



FRriT — An erect, stalkless or short-stalked downy catkin, ovate to 

 oblong, 2-4 cm. long and al^out 2 mm. wide and relativeU' wider than 

 fruit of Black Birch ; scales dra-\*n>" rm the back and edg"es, S-10 mm. 

 long, longer than broad, nearly ciually ri-lobed to the middle; with 

 seed-like "winged nutlets about as broad as their wings. 



COMPARISONS — The Yellow Bir^di differs from the Black Birch as 



indicated in Comparisons under the latter species. Tn the peeling of the 

 outer bark it resembles the Paper and the B.ed Birch. Its outer bark, 

 however, is a dingy yellow and not a chalky white as is that of the 

 exposed la\'ers of the Paper Birch; moreo^'er, in peeling the thin layers 

 tend to curl back to form longitudinal lines of ragged fringe. The 

 fringes of bark are larger and mure ragged than in the Red Birch 

 but the color alone is sufficient to distinguish the two forms. 



DISTRIBITIOX — Low. rich woodlands, mountain slopes. Newfound- 

 land and Nova Scotia to Rainy ri\-cr; sni_iih to the middle states, and 

 ahing the mountains to Tennessee and North Carolina; west to Minne- 

 sota. 



IN NEA\' ENOLAND — Abundant northward; common throughout, from 

 biirders of lowland swamps to 1,000 feet above the sea level: more 

 crimmon at considerable altitudes, where it often occurs in extensive 

 patches or belt s. 



IN CONNECTICUT— Occasional or frequent. 



"WOOD — Heavy, very strong, hard, close-.grained, light brown tinged 

 with red. with thin nearl\- white sapwood; largely used in the manufac- 

 ture of furniture, button and tassel moulds, boxes, the hubs of wheel? 

 and for fuel. 



