I HE P iPER BIN II OR ( \NMK BIR4 II 

 /!• tula }"<}> 



The Birch Familj 



u 



Halm and Habitat: A n I high, with a trunk diameter 



ol 1-2 with a compact, rounded or pyramidal crown with much tine 



spi d in older lift- a tall, branchless trunk with a broad, open 



BCending, slender branches. 1 he paper birch prefers • 

 rich, mo I of canyon bottoms and hi. . usually in the im- 



mediate vicinity of streams or lakes. It is all nally seen in drier 



sit 



Learee and Pads: I. alternate, simple. 2-3 inches long and 



about one-half as broad, coarsely and often more or less doubly & 

 thick and firm, smooth, dark green above, paler beneath, covered with 

 tiny yellowish glands which are readily visible by means of a hand lens, 

 turning bright yellow in the fall; petioles short, stout, usually yell 

 oral bud- rich long, narrow, conical, somewhat flattened, n. 



or less resinous, usually pointing outwardly from the zigza. ^'S. 



Flowers and Fruits: Flowers in catkins, appearing in early spring, 



in April or late March; the staminate catkins clustered, or commonly in 

 pai: inches long, slender, brownish, pendulous; the pistillate cat- 



kins are about one-half as long, slender and erect, greenish. The stam- 

 inate catkins are usually prominent throughout the winter. The fruiting 

 catkins ripen in the autumn with long slender stalks and with cr 

 hairy scales enclosing dozens of yellowish-brown > b, each with two 

 broad, membranous wings. 



Bark. Twigs and Wood: The bark on the older branches and main 

 trunk is creamy-white and shiny on the surface, orai - in the 



interior, readily separating into thin, papery layers. On the oldest trees 

 the bark becomes furrowed and dark on the lower part of the trunks. 

 The t re dull red. becoming shiny and yellowish. The w< 



light, hard, strong, tough, close-grained and uniform in structure and 

 color, light brown or sometimes slightly t: with r 



Distribution in the State: This urs naturally only in the 



deep, spring-branch canyons and on the bluffs along the Niobrara river 

 in Keya Paha. Brown and Cherry counties where it was left by the re- 

 treating ice sheet toward the close of the glacial period. Many lav 

 trees of the species occur in that region. It is much more abundant 

 farther to the northward and eastward as in Minn and Wisconsin. 



and it is also common in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Paper birch 

 has been planted in all parts of the state. 1 ell. h< . only 



in the humid eastern counties. Map 



Remark-: The paper birch is a rapidly growing tree and this 

 quality taken with the striking appearance of the bark make it a very 

 desirable ornamental tree. The wood is used in for 



spo picks, bobbins. ipplies coming mostly from the 



forests of tl heastern states. Birch is also a popular wood for in- 



terior trim, less popular as a furniture woo i. The northern Indians and 

 trappers used the readily moulded bark for varus. 



pai It is easily possible to make a water-tight cup <>r bucket out 



birch bark without a single tack or bit of metal. 



—73— 



