Betula pendula - silver birch

Betula pendula, commonly known as silver birch or warty birch, is a species of tree in the family Betulaceae, native to Europe and parts of Asia. It has been introduced into North America, where it is known as the European white birch, and is considered invasive in some states in USA and in parts of Canada. B. pendula is distinguished from the related downy birch (B. pubescens, the other common European birch) in having hairless, warty shoots (hairy and without warts in downy birch), more triangular leaves with double serration on the margins (more ovoid and with single serrations in downy birch), and whiter bark often with scattered black fissures (greyer, less fissured, in downy birch). The two have differences in habitat requirements, with silver birch found mainly on dry, sandy soils, and downy birch more common on wet, poorly drained sites such as clay soils and peat bogs. Silver birch also demands slightly more summer warmth than does downy birch, which is significant in the cooler parts of Europe. Betula pendula is a pioneer species, casting light shade, which allows shrubs and other plants to grow beneath its canopy. Hardy, medium-sized deciduous tree Named for white peeling bark on the trunk. Bark of trunk and branches is initially golden-brown, later turning white as a result of papery tissue developing on the surface, and eventually peeling off in flakes. The bark of young trees is smooth. In large, older trees, the bark thickens, becoming irregular, dark and rugged. Young branches have whitish resin warts. Twigs are slender, hairless and often pendulous. Leaves are roughly triangular with doubly serrate margins Leaves turn yellow in autumn before they fall. The buds are small and sticky. Development is sympodial = terminal bud dies away and growth continues from a lateral bud. Some shoots are long and bear the male catkins at the tip, while others are short and bear female catkins (flowers). The immature male catkins are present during the winter but the female catkins develop in the spring, soon after the leaves unfurl. In mid-summer, the female catkins mature and the male catkins expand and release pollen, and wind pollination takes place. Small winged seeds ripen in late summer on pendulous, cylindrical catkins. The seeds are very numerous and are separated by scales, and when ripe, the whole catkin disintegrates and the seeds are spread widely by the wind. Supports species of birds, animal, and wide range of insects, mosses, grasses and flowering plants. Flowering plants often found in birch woods include primrose (Primula vulgaris), violet (Viola riviniana), bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta), wood anemone (Anemone nemorosa) and wood sorrel (Oxalis acetosella). Small shrubs that grow on the forest floor include blaeberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) and cowberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea). Birds found in birch woodland include the chaffinch, tree pipit, willow warbler, nightingale, robin, woodcock, redpoll and green woodpecker. Timber used in joinery, as firewood, in tanning, for racecourse jumps, and brooms. Used in traditional medicine. Bark contains triterpenes, which have been shown to have medicinal properties. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betula_pendula https://granthamecology.wordpress.com/2012/01/26/winter-buds-id-part-1-londonthorpe-woods/

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