w ESTERN BL \( k BIRCH 

 Betula tout malts Surg. 



The Birch Fassilj 

 BE1 17LACI \M 



Habit and Habitat: A small tree, occasionally SO n> feel tall, with 

 a trunk diameter of L2-18 iiu bee, but commonly much smaller and crowd- 

 ed into dense thickets; nnmeroufl ilender, spreading branches produce 

 an open, feathery crown; often shrubby, with thin, spreading stems, in 

 open clusters 15-20 foot high or even lower. Prefers the moist soil .»f 



Stream hanks in foothill and mountain canyons ami ravines. 



Leaves and Buds: Leaves simple, alternate, broadly ovate, acute, 

 sharply and often doubly serrate, except at the wedge-shaped, heart- 

 shaped or unequal baso, pale green and more or loss soft hairy SDOVe, 

 and covered with conspicuous rosinous glands when young, palo yellow- 

 green beneath, with scattered, tiny glandular dots, 1-2 inches long, 

 inch wide, turning dull yellow in autumn; petioles -tout, finely hairy, 

 light yellow or tinged with rod rlattish, V4-% inch long. Wintor-buds 

 oval to ovate, SCUte, very rosinous. chestnut-brown, ' 4 inch long. 



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



Staminate catkins clustered toward the tips of the twigs, '--'i inch long 

 ami •'•. inch thick in winter, becoming '2-2 V£ inches long and > s inch 

 thick in spring, scales ovate, acute, chestnut-brown. Pistillate catkins 

 usually single in the axils of the young leaves, short-stalked, about ^ 

 inch long, with ovate, acute green scales; styles bright red. Fruit a 

 broadly cylindrical, dry. scaly cone, 1 -1 x 4 inches long, erect or pendulous 

 on slender stalks %-% inch long; seeds numerous, ovate or ODOVate, 

 much narrower than their wings. 



Hark, Tw i^s and Wood: Branchlets light green and very rough at 

 rirst, soon becoming dark orange-colored and bright reddish-brown in the 

 first winter, dark reddish-brown or bronzed and very shiny the second 

 ; bark on old branches and the main trunk thin, dark bronze 

 color or brown, very shiny, marked by pale, longitudinal streaks, not 

 separable into thin layers. Wood soft, strong, light brown, with thick 

 lighter colored sapwood; used for fuel and fence posts. 



Distribution in the State: This birch occurs abundantly in the 



Rock} Mountains west of Nebraska and in the Black Hills and it has 



ended its range eastward into Sioux county, Nebraska, where it is 



commonlv found along the >treams in the cool canyons <>f Pine Ridge. 



Map \ 



Ressarks: This species is more commonly seen in Sioux county in 

 the clustered hushv, shrubby forms than as well developed, isolated t 

 forms. Another black birch, Betula ni</r<i /.., an eastern tree, has b. 

 Olted for Nebraska, but I have been unable to And any authentic 



cimens collected in this state or to receive unmistakable evidence of 

 the presence of the species within our borders. It has been reported 

 from I OUHty. Those interested in trees should watch carefully for 



this tree when out botanizing in southeastern Nebraska; we shall 



eatly pleased to secure authentic specimens of the spec llected 



in thi The tree is common in the f of northern and 



-souri. 



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