130 



WOOD AND FOREST. 



37 



Cherry Birch. Sweet Birch. Black Birch. Mahogany 



Birch. 



Cherry, because bark resembles that of cherrj' tree; sweet, refers to the 

 taste of the spicy bark. 



Bctula lenta Linnaeus. 

 Betula, the classical Latin name: lenta, meaning tenacious, sticky, may 

 refer to the gum which exudes from the trunk. 



Habitat: (See map); 

 best in Tennessee Moun- 

 tains. 



Characteristics of the 

 Tree: Height, 50'-80'; 

 fliiimeter, 2'-5' ; trunk, 

 rarely straight ; bark, 

 (hirk I'ecldish brown, on 

 old trunks deeply fur- 

 rowed and broken into 

 thick, irregular plates, 

 nu"ir]<ed with horizontal 

 lentieols ; r e s e m b 1 e s 

 cherry; spicy, aromatic; 

 leaves, ovate, oblong, 3"- 

 G" long, irregularly ser- 

 rate : fruit, erect stro- 

 biles. 



Appearance of Wood: 



C'oloi', dark. reddish 

 brown ; difEuse-porous ; 

 rings, obscure; grain, 

 close, satiny, polishes 

 well, often stained to 

 imitate mahogany; ra)'', 

 numerous, obscui'e. 



