BIRCH FAMILY 
Wood.—Light brown, sapwood paler; light, soft, close-grained, 
not strong, checks badly in drying, not durable in contact with the 
ground, takes a fine polish. Used for spools, shoe pegs, wood pulp 
and barrel hoops. Fuel value not high, but burns with bright flame. 
Sp. gr., 0.5760; weight of cu. ft., 35-90 lbs. 
Winter Buds.—Slender, brown, one-fourth of an inch long. 
Leaves.—Alternate, simple, triangular, two and a half to three 
inches long, one and one-half to two inches wide, truncate or slightly 
wedge-shaped at base, doubly serrate, with spreading glandular 
teeth, acute or acuminate. They come out of the bud bright yellow 
green, glutinous. When full grown are dark shining green above, 
paler shining green beneath ; midribs yellow, raised, rounded, often 
marked with minute black glands, primary veins conspicuous. In 
autumn they turn a pale yellow. Petioles long, slender, slightly 
twisted, often reddish. Stipules ovate, pale green, tinged with red, 
caducous. 
flowers.—April, before the leaves. Staminate flowers borne on 
terminal catkins which are solitary or in pairs ; 
when mature are from three to four inches long. 
These form in the late summer, and during the 
winter they vary from one and one-quarter to one 
and one-half inches long, bright pale green, and 
very rigid. Scales ovate, acute, apiculate. Pis- 
tillate aments slender, one-half inch long ; scales 
ovate, acute pale green, glandular; peduncles 
furnished with conspicuous bractlets. 
Fruit. — Strobiles cylindrical, an inch long, 
obtuse at base and apex; peduncles slender, 
drooping; scales pubescent, wedge-shaped at 
3 base, three-lobed, lateral lobes larger than the 
White Birch, Befwle middle, spreading. Nut oval, acute or rounded 
populifolia, Strobiles at base, winged; the wings rather broader than 
pendulous, 1/ long. the seed. 
Most beautiful 
Of forest trees—The Lady of the woods. 
—COLERIDGE. 
The silvery stems 
Of delicate birch trees. 
—KEats. 
Sometimes trees ascend vertically and having arrived at a certain height, in 
an air perfectly unobstructed, fork off in various tiers, and send out their 
branches horizontally like an apple tree; or incline them towards the earth like 
afir; or hollow them in the form of a cup, like the sassafras; or round them 
into the shape of a mushroom like the pine ; or straighten them into a pyramid 
like the poplar ; or roll them as wool upon the distaff like the cypress; or suffer 
them to float at the discretion of the winds like the birch. 
—Sr. PIERRE. 
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