of New York 59 



YELLOW BIRCH 



Betula lutea, Michaux 



THE YELLOW BIRCH, also called Silver Birch and Swamp 

 Birch, is one of the most important timber trees of east- 

 ern North America, sometimes reaching a height of 100 feet 

 and a diameter of 4 feet. It can be readily recognized by its 

 ragged yellow bark which peels off in thin papery scales. On 

 old trunks the bark becomes reddish-brown and roughened 

 with fissures. 



Its twigs, leaves, flowers and fruit are similar to those of 

 the Black Birch, but the twigs lack the sweet wintergreen 

 flavor, and the fruit scales are smooth and equally lobed 

 while those of the Yellow Birch are hairy and unequally 

 lobed. 



The Yellow Birch is found from Newfoundland to Min- 

 nesota, south to New Jersey and Pennsylvania and along the 

 mountains to North Carolina and Tennessee. It is common 

 in the Catskills and Hudson highlands, and abundant north- 

 ward across the State, especially in the Adirondacks and 

 west to the Great Lakes. It is one of the commonest timber 

 trees of the Adirondacks. Rich uplands, borders of streams 

 and swamps are its favorite home. It deserves to be classed 

 as an important forest tree, for it reaches a large size, pro- 

 duces valuable wood, is propagated easily and has few 

 enemies. 



WHITE BIRCH 



Betula alba, Linnaeus 



THE WHITE BIRCH, also called European Birch, is native 

 from northern Europe to Japan. Its bark is white, close- 

 fitting, and peels off sparingly. The leaves are not so long- 

 pointed and its twigs are smoother than those of the Gray 

 Birch. It is common in cemeteries, along streets, upon lawns, 

 and in parks. The varieties of the White Birch commonly 

 found in New York are (1) Cut-leaved White Birch; (2) 

 Weeping White Birch; (3) Cut-leaved Weeping White 

 Birch; and (4) Purple-leaved White Birch. This tree has 

 won a prominent place in American landscape work. The 

 first memorial tree to mother was a White Birch planted on 

 Mother's Day at Reading, Pennsylvania, in 1923. Presi- 

 dent Coolidge planted a White Birch tree at the White House 

 on Mother's Day, 1924. 



