BIRCH FAMILY 



third of an inch long ; scales bright green, ovate, downy ; peduncles 



tomentose, bibracteolate. 

 Strobiles. — Ripen in May and June ; cylindrical, oblong, erect, an 



inch to an inch and a half long, half an inch thick. Scales oblong- 



obovate, hairy, three-lobed, 

 lateral lobes shorter than the 

 central. Nut oval, downy ; 

 wing as broad or broader than 

 the seed. 



Nearly every genus of 

 trees contains one species 

 that loves the water. 

 Among the maples it is the 



Red Birch, BHuia nigra Strobile, erect, ^^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^^ j^ ; 



\' to 1^' long. . , ' ^ 



the Black, among the oaks 

 it is the Swamp White and among the birches it is the Red. 

 Like other trees that grow from choice upon lands subject 

 to inundation, it ripens its fruit early and casts it broadcast 

 in June when streams are low. Germination takes place at 

 once ; and each little seedling becomes several inches high 

 and well established in life before the autumn rains inundate 

 its birthplace and threaten its existence. 



Other birches love the north, climb to the mountain tops 

 and make their way well into the arctic regions ; but the Red 

 Birch seeks warmth not cold, crowds to the water's very 

 edge and dips its pendulous branches into the quiet or run- 

 ning stream. It is the water nymph of the birches ; and 

 reaches its greatest size in the damp misty lowlands of Texas 

 or among the bayous of Louisiana or in the swamps of Flor- 

 ida. And yet it possesses all the family ability of harmoniz- 

 ing with its environment and will grow rapidly in good soil 

 quite remote from water. 



The Red Birch is a beautiful tree ; the bark of a full grown 

 trunk is dark, but small stems and branchlets are really red 

 and in the sunlight are positively brilliant. This red bark 

 easily sloughs loose and shows the paler bark beneath. The 

 spray is particularly delicate, the twigs and branchlets long, 

 flexible, and pendulous. 



308 



