Part 11

Distinguishing Features: The shaggy, peeling reddish-brown bark readily distinguishes this tree from any other in Illinois, as does its rhombic, doubly toothed leaves.

PAPER BIRCH Betula papyrifera Marsh.

Other Name: Canoe Birch.

Growth Form: Medium tree up to 70 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 2 feet; crown broadly rounded, irregular, with many slender branches.

Bark: Thin and white or creamy, splitting at maturity into papery layers, becoming very dark and furrowed near the base of the trunk at maturity.

Twigs: Slender, zigzag, reddish-brown to blackish, more or less hairy; leaf scars alternate, half-elliptical, with 3 bundle traces.

Buds: Slender, pointed, dark brown, smooth or nearly so, up to one-fourth inch long.

Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades ovate, pointed at the tip, more or less rounded at the base, up to 3 inches long, over half as wide, coarsely toothed, dark green and smooth on the upper surface, yellow-green and smooth or somewhat hairy on the lower surface and with black dots on the lower surface; leafstalks yellow, smooth or finely hairy, up to 1 inch long. The leaves turn yellow in the autumn.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate borne separately on the same tree, developing in the autumn and present on the tree during the winter, the staminate crowded into slender spikes up to 4 inches long, the pistillate crowded into thicker spikes up to 1¼ inches long, the flowers minute, without petals.

Fruit: Cone-like, cylindrical, drooping, composed of many minute seeds attached to 3-lobed wings.

Wood: Light in weight, hard, strong, durable, close-grained, light reddish-brown.

Uses: Bark used to cover canoes; wood used for pulp, fuel, toothpicks, and spools; sometimes grown as an ornamental.

Habitat: Rich, wooded slopes and stream banks.

Range: Labrador across to Alaska, south to Montana, Colorado, northern Illinois, and West Virginia.

Distinguishing Features: The Paper Birch is readily distinguished by its white bark which peels off into thin, papery layers.

PAPER MULBERRY Broussonetia papyrifera (L.) Vent.

Growth Form: Small tree to 20 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 8 inches; crown rounded.

Bark: Gray or light brown, smooth.

Twigs: Moderately stout, greenish-gray, smooth or finely hairy, zigzag; leaf scars alternate, nearly spherical, elevated, with 5 bundle traces.

Buds: Cone-shaped, more or less smooth, up to 3 mm long.

Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades ovate, tapering to a point at the tip, more or less heart-shaped at the base, up to 8 inches long, sometimes nearly as broad, toothed, sometimes 2- or 3-lobed, usually rough-hairy on both surfaces; leafstalks up to 2 inches long, smooth or finely hairy.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate flowers borne separately, on separate trees, appearing as the leaves unfold, the staminate in pendulous catkins, the pistillate in dense, hairy, spherical heads.

Fruit: Spherical, semi-fleshy, orange, up to 1 inch in diameter, with red fruits projecting.

Use: Often planted as an ornamental.

Habitat: Along roads, around old homes.

Range: Native of Asia; occasionally found along roads and in fencerows in the eastern United States.

Distinguishing Features: The leaves, some of which are 2- or 3-lobed, are very reminiscent of mulberry leaves. Mulberry leaves, however, are not densely rough-hairy.

BLUE BEECH Carpinus caroliniana Walt.