White Birch（白桦）.pdfVIP

White Birch Betula papyrifera Identification: Occurs in all forested regions across Canada, north to the tree line. Frequently planted for landscape purposes. Leaves: ovate or triangular, 5-10cm long, tip pointed, base broadly wedge-shaped, rounded, straight, or cordate; double-toothed; upper surface dull green, lighter beneath. Flowers: pollen catkins in clusters of 1-3, each 1-3cm long and 2-4mm wide in winter, about 9cm long during pollination in the spring. Seed catkins which develop in the spring are 1-2cm longs, erect; stigmas pink or red. Fruit: mature seed catkins 3-5cm long, hanging from the dwarf shoots. Nutlets 1.5- 2.5mm long, half as wide as long; wings much wider than nutlet. Scales variable, 2-3mm long, usually hairy, with 2 rounded lateral lobes diverging from a short, pointed central lobe. Fruits and scales shed from September onwards, leaving the bare catkin axis on the tree. Bark: thin, smooth, dark red to almost black on young stems, becoming reddish-brown and then bright creamy white; often shedding in large sheets. On removal of the outer bark, the reddish-orange inner bark soon dies, turns black and divides into flakes. Exposing large areas of the inner bark may kill the tree. Wood: texture is uniform, colour is pale, has no odor. Climate/Location: White Birch grows in climates ranging from boreal to humid and tolerates wide variations in precipitation. Its northern limit of growth is the arctic circle, with boreal spruce woodlands being more common. Habitat: Found on forest edges, lakeshores, and roadsides. It grows on a wide variety of soils in pure stands and mixed st