84 



wide, densely pubescent on the back, or rarely glabrous on the back, 

 ciliate, glabrous or nearly so on the inside, commonly with a few brown 

 or l)lack glands on the margin, commonly lobed to more than one- 

 third of their length, lobes ascending or divaricate, the lateral generally 

 the larger and almost as long as the narrower middle lobe; nuts divested 

 of the wings, slightly obovate, about 3 mm. long, wings about two-thirds 

 as wide as the nut and usually witli a fringe of hairs at the blunt ajjex. 



Distribution. — The distribution of this species is variously given 

 as fi'om Xcwfoundland west to ]\Ianitolia and south in the Alleghenies 

 to Georgia. It is now tlefinitely known that the species of Bctula 

 hybridize which may account for the peculiar forms often encountered. 

 Tliat there ai'c geograjihic races or ]\Ieudelian segregates of thr--' species 

 is evidenced by the different interpretations given this species by dif- 

 ferent authors. Bctula aUcghanensis Piritton appears to be one of them. 

 Th(^ descriptive difference lietween Bctula Icnta and Bctula lulca is not 

 clear, which has resulted in many authors crediting Bctula Icnta to 

 Indiana and the area west of Indiaiui. 



The preceding description does not agree with that of Bctula liitca 

 exactly, and has been drawn to covev the specimens at hand fi'om In- 

 diana which the author has from Allen, Crawford, Lagi'ange, Lake, 

 Marshall, Porter and Steuben Counties. It has recently l)een reported 

 from AVhit(^ County l)y Heimlich.' He says: "Specimens were taken 

 from two trees about two miles south of Buffalo near the water's edge 

 of the rivei-." The writer has visited this locality and foiuid here, and 

 also on the island above the luidge a little farther down the liver, 

 Bctula iiii/ru, liut could not find Bctula lulca. Since Heimlich tlid not 

 rejiort Bctula uiijra, which unmistakably occurs here, I assume he has 

 confused the two s])ecies. It is very local in its distribution, and ajipeai's 

 to l)e confined to swamjis, borders of lakes, and streams in the 

 extreme northern jjart of the State. It has not been seen south of the 

 northern end of the State, except a few small trees found clinging 

 to the walls of the cliffs of a ravine about one mile east of Taswell 

 in Crawford County. The walls of this ravine are about 25 meters 

 high; associated with it were a few trees of hemlock, and on the top 

 of the cliffs, laur(>l ( Kaluu'a lati folia). 



Large trees of this species in Indiana are usually from 4-6 dm. in 

 diameter and about L5 m. high. The number in any one station is 

 usually few, although there were formerly patches where it was plentiful. 

 Van Gorder- reports for Noble County Betula Icnta which should be 

 transferred to this species, and he says: "There is a marsh of several 

 acres of birch in Section 1.5 of York Township." The largest area now 



iProc. Ind. Acad. Sci. 1917;443:191S. 

 jind. (ic-ol. Kept. 18:01:1894. 



