Part 28

=Fruit=.—An oblong, cone-shaped strobile, 1-1½ inches long, erect, 3-lobed scales smooth; nutlets small, winged.

=Bark=.—Very dark and broken into thick, irregular ridges and plates; the young and inside bark having a sweet, wintergreen taste.

=Wood=.—Heavy, hard, close-grained, dark reddish brown, with light sapwood.

=Range=.—Newfoundland to Illinois, Tennessee and Florida.

=Distribution in West Virginia=.—Scattered locally through nearly all parts of West Virginia.

=Habitat=.—Grows in a variety of soils and exposures, but prefers rich moist woodlands.

=Notes=.—Black Birch is a widely-known tree and is highly valued on account of its wood. The local names, Red Birch and Cherry Birch refer to the appearance of the heartwood and the bark, and Sweet Birch to the flavor of the bark. This tree can be distinguished from Yellow Birch, which it most closely resembles, by its darker-colored bark which does not peel off in loose flakes.

YELLOW BIRCH

=Betula lutea=, Michx.

=Form=.—Height 60-100 feet, diameter 2-4 feet; trunk short and usually forking near the base; crown rounded, open.

=Leaves=.—Alternate, solitary or in pairs, simple, 3-4 inches long, acute at apex, doubly serrate, dull green.

=Flowers=.—April; monoecious; staminate flowers in pendent purplish catkins; the pistillate in shorter, erect, greenish catkins.

=Fruit=.—Cone-shaped strobiles, 1 inch long and erect, scales of strobile downy on the back and edges; nut small, about as broad as its wing.

=Bark=.—Silvery yellow-gray, with thin, papery layers separating and often curling at the edges giving the trunk a ragged appearance; slightly aromatic, and bitter. Campers often use the loose outer bark for starting camp fires in wet weather.

=Wood=.—Heavy, strong, hard, close-grained light reddish-brown, with nearly white sapwood.

=Range=.—Newfoundland to Minnesota and south to North Carolina.

=Distribution in West Virginia=.—Frequent, especially in mountain sections, growing with spruce and hemlock; rare in low hilly parts of the State and in the Eastern Panhandle; found along streams and in other damp situations on the outskirts of its range.

=Habitat=.—Moist fertile uplands and along streams.

=Notes=.—This large birch is associated with other mountain species such as Spruce, Hemlock, Black Cherry, and Black Birch. It furnishes valuable lumber and is a rapid grower. The characteristic appearance of the bark, described above, will prevent the confusion of this tree with its close relative, the Black Birch.

RED BIRCH

=Betula nigra=, L.

=Form=.—Height, 50-90 feet, diameter, 1-3 feet; trunk usually short, dividing into two or three large ascending limbs; crown irregular, oblong.

=Leaves=.—Alternate, simple, 1½ to 3 inches long, round-ovate, acute, doubly serrate, sometimes cut or slightly lobed, deep green, pale yellow-green beneath.

=Flowers=.—April, before the leaves; monoecious; staminate formed in the fall and remaining over winter as short aments, usually in clusters of three and elongating in the spring to 2-3 inches; pistillate, short, erect, situated on twigs with the staminate flowers and back of them.

=Fruit=.—Cylindrical strobile, 1-1½ inches long; 3-lobed scales of strobile pubescent; nuts small, hairy, winged.

=Bark=.—On old trunks dark red-brown and rough, with deep furrows and broken ridges; on younger trees, lighter-colored, the outer papery layers separating freely into thin sheets and turning up at the edges.

=Wood=.—Light, rather strong, close-grained, light brown with pale sapwood.

=Range=.—New England, west to Missouri, and south to Florida and Texas.