Grey birch
- Latin name: Betula populifolia Marsh.
- French name: Bouleau gris
- Synonym(s): Wire birch
- Taxonomic Serial Number: 19497
Description
Leaves
Form
- Triangular
- Tip long-pointed, tapering
- Base almost straight across
- Pendulous
- Upper surface rough
- Lower surface shiny
- Veins 6–9 per side
- Preformed leaves hairless
- Neoformed leaves slightly hairy
Length
- 4–7 cm
Colour
- Upper surface shiny dark green
- Lower surface lighter green
Margin
- Each vein ends in a large tooth
- 40 (18–47) teeth per side, of 2 distinct sizes
- Larger teeth sometimes appear to be small lobes
- Toothless near petiole
Petiole
- Slender
Buds
Form
- Pointed, gummy, often hairy
Colour
- Uniform light brownish-grey
Twigs
Form
- Slender, hairless, with many resin glands
Colour
- Dark brown to grey
Flowers
Form
- Pollen catkins usually solitary
Length
- About 2 cm in winter, 6–10 cm at pollination
- Seed catkins 1–1.5 cm
Structure
- Monoecious
Fruits
Form
- Mature seed catkins blunt-tipped, semi-erect
- Nutlets almost hairless
- Scales densely hairy on the inner side with 2 broad recurved lateral lobes and a very short central lobe
Length
- Mature seed catkins 1.5–2 cm
- Scales 2–3 mm
Width
- Mature seed catkins narrow
- Wings much wider than the nutlet
Timing
- Shed in late autumn and early winter
Bark
Form
- Thin, smooth when young
- With age peels with difficulty into small, thin, rectangular plates
- Triangular patches often form below the branches
Colour
- Dark reddish-brown when young, becoming dull chalky-white
- Triangular patches black
Size
Height
- To 12 m
Diameter
- To 15 cm
Maximum age
- 50 years
Tree form
Open-grown
Trunk
- Usually curved and leaning
- Distinct nearly to the top of the crown
Crown
- Narrow, irregular, open, with many slender branches
- Older branches often S-shaped
Habitat
Site
- Sandy or gravelly soils of any moisture regime
- Often in clumps
Light tolerance
- Not shade-tolerant
Associated species
- In pure stands on abandoned pastures and areas recently cut or burned
- Eventually replaced by more tolerant and longer-lived species
Range
Maritime provinces
Photos
Photos
Anthony Scullion
Anthony Scullion
Insects and mites
Insects that cause damage to this tree.
-
Birch leafminer
Scientific name: Fenusa pusilla (Lepeletier)
-
Pale winged grey
Scientific name: Iridopsis ephyraria (Wlk.)
Foliage or buds
-
Ambermarked birch leafminer
Scientific name: Profenusa thomsoni (Konow)
-
Birch casebearer
Scientific name: Coleophora serratella (Linnaeus)
-
Birch leafminer
Scientific name: Fenusa pusilla (Lepeletier)
-
Birch sawfly
Scientific name: Arge pectoralis (Leach)
-
Birch skeletonizer
Scientific name: Bucculatrix canadensisella Chambers
-
Ceanothus silk moth
Scientific name: Hyalophora euryalis (Walker)
- Eupithecia subfuscata (Haworth)
-
Saddled prominent
Scientific name: Heterocampa guttivitta Walker
-
Speckled green fruitworm
Scientific name: Orthosia hibisci (Guenée)
-
White slaut
Scientific name: Tetracis cachexiata (Guenée)
Roots, bark, stem or trunk, or branches
Diseases caused by pathogens
Diseases caused by pathogens that cause damage to this tree.
Foliage or buds
-
Birch leaf blister
Pathogen name: Taphrina carnea Johanson
Roots, bark, stem or trunk, or branches
Brown cubical rot of birch
Pathogen name: Fomitopsis betulina (Bull.) B.K. Cui, M.L. Han & Y.C. Dai (Common name for the fungus: razor strop fungus)
White spongy trunk rot
Pathogen name: Fomes fomentarius (L.) Fr. (Common name for this fungus: tinder conk)
Distribution map
