58 
RED BIRCH. 
8 or 10 inches in diameter, the epidermis is reddish or cinnamon-ctilored ; 
whence probably is derived the appropriate denomination of Red Birch. 
The epidermis of this species, like that of the Canoe Birch, divides itself 
transversely into thin, transparent sheets, which apppear to be composed of 
a mixed substance, instead of presenting a pure, homogeneous texture ; 
hence they have not a uniform transparency, nor a perfectly even surface : 
compared with the bark of the Canoe Birch, they are like coarse paper 
compared with fine. When this tree is fully expanded, its summit is ample, 
but the uncommon thickness of its branches prevents it from appearing 
tufted. The twigs, which form the extremity of the tree, are long, flexible 
and pendulous, and the limbs are of a brown complexion spotted with 
white : their bark is slightly uneven, while, on the other branches it is 
smooth and glossy. 
The petioles of the Red Birch are short and downy ; the leaves are about 
3 inches long and 2 inches broad, of a light green on the upper surface, 
and whitish beneath : they are doubly denticulated at thé edge, very 
acuminate at the summit, and terminatéd at the base in an acute angle, 
more regular than is seen in the leaf of any other tree. The fertile aments 
are 5 or 6 inches long, straight, and nearly cylindrical. The seeds are ripe 
in the beginning of June. 
The wood of the Red Birch is sufficiently compact and nearly white : 
very little difference in color r is observed between the sap and the heart. 
This wood offers the same singularity with that of the June Berry, being 
longitudinally marked by red vessels, which intersect each other in differ- 
ent directions. In some parts of Virginia and North Carolina, the negroes 
make bowls and trays of Red Birch when they cannot procure Poplar. 
When saplings of Hickory or White Oak are not to be found, hoops, par- 
ticularly those of rice casks, are made of the young stocks and of branches 
not exceeding an inch in diameter. In Philadelphia its twigs are exclu- 
sively chosen for the brooms with which the streets and court-yards are 
swept, which are similar to those employed for the same purpose in Paris. 
The twigs of the other species of Birch being less supple and more brittle, 
are not proper for this use. 
Though the Red Birch is constantly found on the borders of rivers, it is 
not naturally confined to them : a flourishing stock, more than 30 feet in 
height, exists in the garden of the State-house at Philadelphia. Among all 
the Birches, the vegetation of this species only is invigorated by intense 
heat : this consideration suffices to recommend its propagation in Italy, and 
in the southern parts of France and of the United States; for it has been 
judiciously observed by authors who have written on this genus of trees, 
that if the good properties of the Birch are not brilliant, they are at least 
numerous and useful. 
