| Leaves |
 |
5 to 10 cm. long |
| |
oval in shape |
| |
tapering to a slender, sharp point at the top and
a
narrow base |
| |
double-toothed with 12 or more pairs of veins extending
to the larger teeth |
| |
dark green above yellow-green below |
|
| Fruit |
| |
small, two-winged nut in an erect cone about 2.5 to 4
cm. long with hairy scales, often persisting on the tree over winter |
|
| Bark |
| |
a thin, smooth yellow on younger trees |
| |
separating into thin, papery curls, not easily peeled
from tree |
| |
on very old trunks, thick reddish-brown to black
breaking into large ragged, flat plates |
|
| General |
| |
not found in Labrador, and only in patchy distribution
on the Island |
| |
Yellow Birch can grow up to 23 m. in height with a 50 to
100 cm. diameter |
| |
it grows on a variety of
sites often in association with Balsam fir and other hardwoods and is a prolific
seeder with winged nutlets which can travel a great distance on air currents |
| |
stump root reproduction is also common |
