256 



The Birches 



nearly smooth on the under side, except the hairy veins; the hairy leaf -stalks are 

 1.5 cm. long or less, the stipules ovate. The flowers expand in April or May. 

 The catkins of staminate flowers are 6 to 9 cm. long, mostly in 2's or 3's, their 

 scales ovate and blimt. The ripe pistillate catkins are oblong-cylindric, stalked, 

 2 to 5 cm. long, about i cm. thick, their scales velvety, hairy-fringed, with 3 

 nearly equal bluntish lobes, or the middle lobe a little longer than the lateral 

 ones; the nut is broadly ovate or oval, 2.5 to 4 mm. long, wider than its wings. 

 The tree grows rapidly in good soil and is well adapted to park and lawn 

 planting. The wood is light brown, hard and strong, with a specific gravity of 

 0.58, and is largely used for furniture, ox-yokes, woodenware, and for fuel. 



12. SANDBERG'S BIRCH — Betula Sandbergi Britton 



This tree, or shrub, inhabits swamps in Henne- 

 pin county, Minnesota, and has been confused with 

 Betula nigra L. It occurs also in Saskatchewan. 



The young twigs are loosely hairy and green, 

 becoming brown. The leaves are rhombic-ovate, 

 pointed, rather evenly toothed, firm, dark green, 

 dull, and finely but strongly netted-veined on the 

 upper side, hght green, very glandular and slightly 

 hairy on the veins of the under surface, 6 cm. long 

 or less, the base wedge-shaped; when young they 

 are very glandular on both sides; the slender smooth 

 leaf-stalks are 1.5 cm. long or less. The flowers 

 open when the leaves are partially grown. The 

 staminate catkins (Saskatchewan specimens) are 6 

 cm. long or longer. The ripe pistillate catkins are 

 slender-stalked, cylindric, 2 to 2.5 cm. long, about 

 6 mm. in diameter, blimt, their scales about 4 mm. 

 Fig. 214. — Sandberg's Birch. long, hairy, 3-lobed at the top, the middle lobe a 

 little lobger than the blunt ascending lateral ones, the base wedge-shaped ; the nut 

 is broadly oval to somewhat obovate, 1.5 mm. long, nearly as wide as its wings. 



13. CHERRY BIRCH — Betula lenta Linnaeus 



The Cherry birch, or Black birch, is an upland forest tree, which reaches a 

 maximum height of about 25 meters, with a trunk diameter of nearly two meters. 

 It grows from Newfoundland to northern Florida, west to Ontario, Illinois, and 

 Tennessee. It often inhabits rocky woodlands, its roots embracing large boulders 

 or parts of ledges. It is also called Sweet birch and Mahogany birch. 



The bark of young and middle-aged trunks is smooth, close, dark brown and 

 shining, resembling that of a cherry tree, whence the common name; that of old 



