Its young twigs are hairy and smooth, not hairless and covered with resin warts like those of silver birch. Specimens of the subarctic populations are usually small and very contorted, and are often distinguished as arctic downy birch or mountain birch, B. p. var. In the fjeld district in the far north mountain birch (ssp. Search for more papers by this author. It is often shrub-like, has several trunks and stays shorter than the southern subspecies. No need to register, buy now! Many North American texts treat the two species as conspecific (and cause confusion by combining the downy birch's alternative vernacular name, white birch, with the scientific name B. pendula of the other species), but they are regarded as distinct species throughout Europe. It also prefers damper environments, being found on bogs, and tolerates shadier conditions. © Copyright: Images: Jouko Lehmuskallio. myosuroides). Tree Size: 33-65 ft (10-20 m) tall, 1-2 ft (.3-.6 m) trunk diameter. Downy birch, also known as white birch, is a very variable tree. The two have differences in habitat requirements, with downy birch more common on wet, poorly drained sites, such as clays and peat bogs, and silver birch found mainly on dry, sandy soils. Areas of poor soil are quickly colonised by this tree. Closer view of the spore capsules of some slender mouse-tail moss (Isothecium myosuroides var. It is a deciduous tree growing to 10 to 20 m (33 to 66 ft) tall (rarely to 27 m), with a slender crown and a trunk up to 70 cm (28 in) (exceptionally 1 m) in diameter, with smooth but dull grey-white bark finely marked with dark horizontal lenticels. They are also prone to a few pests such as the Bronze Birch Borer and Asian Longhorn beetle. Yet, downy birches are characterised by hairy leaves and young shoots, whereas the same parts on silver birch are hairless. [6] The inner bark can be used for the production of rope and for making a form of oiled paper. [23], {{cite iucn}}: error: |doi= / |page= mismatch (, Väre, H. 2001: Mountain birch taxonomy and floristics of mountain birch Buds: Narrowly tapering, rather small, brown, sometimes greenish. It has serrate leaves, not doubly serrate like silver birch. [4], Three varieties are recognised, the nominate Betula pubescens var. It tolerates the cold well and thrives in damp soil, often peaty and acidic. [22] The leaves can be infused with boiling water to make a tea, and extracts of the plant have been used as herbal remedies. This is how north-western Europe was recolonised by trees following th… The bark of the Downy Birch is a dull greyish white or pale brown, but that of E. White Birch is striking white, papery, with black fissures. These may eventually overshadow the downy birch and replace it as the dominant tree. pumila. downy birch (Betula pubescens), birch leaf, Germany. Find the perfect downy birch leaf stock photo. a fungus (Taphrina betulina). Moor birch trees (Betula pubescens), Birkenbruch Forest, autumnal discolored ferns, Steinhude Nature Reserve, Lower Saxony. Distribution: Northern Europe, Asia, Iceland, and Greenland. Feather, probably from a robin (Erithacus rubecula) and fallen downy birch leaf on the branch of a birch tree covered in slender mouse-tail moss (Isothecium myosuroides var. Its young twigs are hairy and smooth, not hairless and covered with resin warts like those of silver birch. Elizabeth M. Williamson . Downy birch is more variable than silver and in Britain it is normally classified according to two subspecies (Gardiner, 1981) including a subarctic subspecies B. pubescens ssp.‘tortuosa’ (a.k.a. Birch, Silver and Downy Betula pendula Roth; B. pubescens Ehrh. Tough and flexible timber of downy birch is good for making furniture. Downy birch is the most commonly seen birch in Northern Ireland. Male and female flowers in separate inflorescences. and downy birch are considered rare ( Jonsell, 2000 ) due to a biochemical incompatibility mechanism between these two species ( Hagman, 1971 ). Average Dried Weight: 39 lbs/ft 3 (625 kg/m 3) Specific Gravity (Basic, 12% MC):.48, .62. Do not use in patients with oedema or with poor kidney or heart functions [301] Habitats: Open woodland and heaths, usually on acid soils, from sea level to 830 metres[1, 17, 100]. [9] The latter has arisen from the hybridization of var. This makes it possible for other, more demanding trees to move in. This variety is notable as being one of very few trees native to Iceland and Greenland, and is the only tree to form woodland in Iceland. This can be consumed fresh, concentrated into a syrup similar to the better-known maple syrup, or can be fermented into an ale or wine. [3], Downy birch can be distinguished from silver birch with its smooth, downy shoots, which are hairless and warty in silver birch. [21] The removal of bark was at one time so widespread that Carl Linnaeus expressed his concern for the survival of the woodlands. A number of cultivars have been grown but many are no longer in cultivation. It has serrate leaves, not doubly serrate like silver birch. Appearing from April to May, male catkins are long and yellow-brown in colour. The bark of the downy birch is a dull greyish white, whereas the silver birch has striking white, papery bark with black fissures. Autumn colour yellow to orange. [3], In more northerly locations, downy birch can also be confused with the dwarf birch (Betula nana), both species being morphologically variable. [19] Birch bark was used as an emergency food in times of famine; in Novgorod in 1127–28, desperate people ate it along with such things as the leaves of lime trees, wood pulp, straw, husks and moss. Inês da Costa Rocha. Betula alba), commonly known as downy birch and also as moor birch, white birch, European white birch or hairy birch, is a species of deciduous tree, native and abundant throughout northern Europe and northern Asia, growing farther north than any other broadleaf tree. The bark can be stripped off without killing the tree and the bark and the timber is used for turnery and in the manufacture of plywood, furniture, shelves, coffins, matches, toys and wood flooring. Subspecies: Downy Birch or White Birch (ssp. Planted Downy Birch are more susceptible to Birch dieback, a disease caused by the pathogenic Fungi Marssonia betulae and Anisogramma virgultorum. Both can get to 20m (65ft) have silvery white bark and a similar shaped leaf. myosuroides) on the trunk of a downy birch tree beside the Burn of Segal. Both species are fairly common throughout Britain and they share some of the same habitats, although Downy Birch copes well in soil that is waterlogged for most or all of the year. Three varieties are recognised and it hybridises with the silver and dwarf birches. It is a deciduous tree growing to 10 to 20 m (33 to 66 ft) tall (rarely to 27 m), with a slender crown and a trunk up to 70 cm (28 in) (exceptionally 1 m) in diameter, with smooth but dull grey-white bark finely marked with dark horizontal lenticels. Betula pubescens is commonly known as downy birch, with other common names including moor birch, white birch, European white birch or hairy birch. They are duller green than silver birch, on a shorter leaf-stalk, 7-15 mm in length. In Scandinavia and Finland, this is done on a domestic scale, but in the former USSR, particularly Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, birch sap is harvested commercially and used to manufacture cosmetics, medicines and foodstuffs. All rights reserved. Downy Birch - (Beith chlúmhach) The native species Betula pubescens is a tall, deciduous tree rather similar to the silver birch but with creamy-brown bark rather than white, more upright branches, and fine down on the young twigs. UCL School of Pharmacy & Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK. In outbreak years, large areas of birch forest can be defoliated by this insect. The fruit is a pendulous, cylindrical aggregate 1 to 4 cm (0.4 to 1.6 in) long and 5 to 7 mm (0.2 to 0.3 in) wide which disintegrates at maturity, releasing the individual seeds; these seeds are 2 mm (0.08 in) long with two small wings along the side. Unlike its close relative, downy birch does not require much light, and it thrives also on waterlogged sites. The bark can also be turned into a high quality charcoal favoured by artists. On one leaf I came across a few small downy birch aphids feeding next to a cluster of pale yellow eggs. The shoots are grey-brown with fine downy. [13], In Greenland, about seventy species of fungi have been found growing in association with B. pubescens, as parasites or saprobes on living or dead wood. Downy birch is a deciduous broadleaf tree native to the UK and northern Europe and northern Asia It is also known as moor birch, white birch, common white birch and European white birch Downy birch is found on damper soils than silver birch, and can even tolerate waterlogged or peaty condition The observations are collected either on paper and are subsequently submit-ted manually to an open-source online database or submitted directly via a newly developed mobile app. Birch leaves are a source of food for various butterflies. [16], The outer layer of bark can be stripped off the tree without killing it and can be used to make canoe skins, drinking vessels and roofing tiles. In spring, the male catkins (or 'lamb's tails') turn yellow and shed their pollen, which is carried by the wind to the short, green, female catkins that appear on the same tree. (e.g., first appearance of species, flowering, ripening, leaf yellowing, snow fall, and melt). However, the two species can often hybridise resulting in more mixed features (2). Genus Betula can be deciduous trees or shrubs, usually colouring well in autumn and often with striking white, pink, or peeling brown bark; separate male and female … 2–20 m (6.5–65 ft.), usu. Like several other birches in New England, it has white, smooth, peeling bark, which has been used by the Chippewa in building canoes. The genus Betula comprises some 40 species, both trees, shrubs, and dwarf shrubs. It grows in woods, bogs and swamps which are wetter and colder than the habitats of silver birch. [2] The leaf base of silver birch is usually a right angle to the stalk, while for downy birches, it is rounded. Huge collection, amazing choice, 100+ million high quality, affordable RF and RM images. [2][3], B. pubescens is closely related to, and often confused with, the silver birch (B. pendula). [15] This disease also affects Betula pendula and in 2000 was reported at many of the sites planted with birch in Scotland during the 1990s. [18] In Finland, mämmi, a traditional Easter food, was packed and baked in boxes of birch bark. The rising sap in spring can be used to make refreshing drinks, wines, ales and liqueurs and various parts of the tree have been used in herbal medicine. Search for more papers by this author. The leaf is young Bronze birch Borer and Asian Longhorn beetle this downy birch leaf is also a pioneer species establishes! Making a form of oiled paper, bogs and swamps which are wetter and colder than the of! Of mountain birch ( ssp birch has smooth, downy birch tree beside the Burn of Segal serrate silver... 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