Family: Betulaceae
gray birch, white birch
from USDA Plants Website
Know Your Trees
Etymology: Betula: ancient Latin name
Plants: perennial tree usually less than 40' tall, widely pyramid-shaped; trunks often clustered and erect; usually less than 6" in diameter; smooth bark dark reddish brown becoming grayish white with age; dark, horizontal lenticels
Leaves: leaf widely oval to deltate or rhombic; edges coarsely, irregularly, sometimes doubly toothed
Flowers: male catkin 1"-2" long; blooms in late spring
Fruits: nearly cylindrical, erect to hanging fruit clusters; samara wings much wider than the body, widest near the center
Habitat: moist to dryish; open woods, slopes, waste places; in rocky to sandy soil
Conservation Status: Introduced – locally established
Plants: perennial tree usually less than 40' tall, widely pyramid-shaped; trunks often clustered and erect; usually less than 6" in diameter; smooth bark dark reddish brown becoming grayish white with age; dark, horizontal lenticels
Leaves: leaf widely oval to deltate or rhombic; edges coarsely, irregularly, sometimes doubly toothed
Flowers: male catkin 1"-2" long; blooms in late spring
Fruits: nearly cylindrical, erect to hanging fruit clusters; samara wings much wider than the body, widest near the center
Habitat: moist to dryish; open woods, slopes, waste places; in rocky to sandy soil
Conservation Status: Introduced – locally established
Flora of North America: Flora of North America USDA Plants Database: Federal Distribution and detailed information including photos USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS): Images of seeds, fruits, embryos, etc. Landscape Plants of the Upper Midwest; UW-Extension: Interactive guide providing information on cultivation including: soil, zone, growth rate, landscape uses, pruning, light requirements; with photos and Latin name pronounciation
from USDA Plants Website
Know Your Trees
William A. Hoch