966 The Trees of Great Britain and Ireland 



when visiting the nursery at Balmoral in 1904, I noticed self-sown seedlings 

 of both forms, in which the distinction was very striking, and took some away with 

 me, which I planted on my trial beds at Colesborne. Of these the growth of B. 

 verrucosa has been immensely superior ; and Mr. J. Michie, Commissioner to His 

 Majesty at Balmoral, writing to me on the subject, says, " I have no doubt about 

 the rough and smooth twigged birches remaining constant through life ; they are 

 distinct varieties, and in nature grow side by side frequently. I do not say that 

 the rough-twigged variety always develops a pendulous habit with age, but it 

 grows larger and has a lighter colour of bark. It generally weeps, on the same 

 ground where the other remains rigid, of less size, and with darker bark." 



Birch is the most Alpine tree in Great Britain, and ascends in the Highlands to 

 about 3000 feet. 



The Gaelic name of the birch is beith (pronounced bey), and according to Sir 

 Herbert Maxwell,^ is found in various forms in Scottish place-names, as Drumbae, 

 the birch-ridge, Auchenvey and Largvey in Galloway (achadh-na-beith, birch field, 

 and learg-bheitk, birch hill-side). Beoch in Ayrshire, Galloway, and Dumfriesshire is 

 beitheach (beyagh), birch-land. 



In Ireland, this word^ occurs in many names of places, as Ballybay in Mone^han 

 (mouth of the ford of the birch), Kilbeheny, a village in Tipperary (birch-wood), 

 A^havea in Fermanagh (birch-field). Beagh is also a common place-name in different 

 parts of Ireland. (H. J. E.) 



BETULA VERRUCOSA, Silver Birch 



Betula verrucosa, Ehrhart, Beit. Naturk. vi. 98 (1791); Willkomm, Forstliche Flora, 314(1887); 



Mathieu, Flore Forestiire, 407 (1897); Winkler, Betulacece, 75 (1904). 

 Betula pendula. Roth, Tent. Fl. Germ. i. 405 (1788); Schneider, Laubholzkunde, i. 113 (1904). 

 Betula alba, Linnaeus, Sp. Fl. 982 (1753) (in part). 

 Betula alba, Linnaeus, vax. pendula, Aiton, Hort. Kew, iii. 336 (1789) ; Loudon, Arb. et Frut. Brit. 



iii. 1 69 1 (1838). 

 Betula rhombifolia, Tausch, in Flora, xxi. 2, p. 752 (1838). 

 Betula lobulata, Kanitz, in Linnxa, xxxii. 351 (1863). 

 Betula odorata, Reichenbach, Icon. FL Germ. xii. 2, t. 626, f. 1288 (1850) (not Bechstein). 



A tree, attaining in Russia 120 feet in height and about 12 feet in girth. 

 Bark like that of B. pubescens, but more silvery white in colour. Main branches 

 ascending, smaller branches and branchlets pendulous. Young branchlets glabrous, 

 with scattered minute glands, which are persistent in the second year. 



Leaves (Plate 270, Fig. 9) about \\ to 2 inches long, and i to 4 inch broad, 

 deltoid, with a broadly cuneate base and an acuminate apex ; margin biserrate ; 

 nerves five or six pairs; both surfaces glabrous and glandular; petiole f inch, 

 glabrous, glandular. 



Fruiting-catkins (Plate 270, Fig. 9) cylindrical, about i inch long and \ inch 

 wide, directed towards the apex of the branchlet, on a slender, glabrous, glandular 



' Scottish Land Names, 109 (1894). 2 Joyce, Irish Names of Places, i. 506 (1883). 



