bio.wikisort.org - Plant

Search / Calendar

Betula occidentalis, the water birch or red birch, is a species of birch native to western North America, in Canada from Yukon east to Northwestern Ontario and southwards, and in the United States from eastern Washington east to western North Dakota,[citation needed] and south to eastern California, northern Arizona and northern New Mexico, and southwestern Alaska. It typically occurs along streams in mountainous regions,[1] sometimes at elevations of 2,100 metres (6,900 feet) and in drier areas than paper birch.[2]

Trunk from along the Columbia River in Chelan County, Washington
Trunk from along the Columbia River in Chelan County, Washington

Betula occidentalis
Foliage
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fagales
Family: Betulaceae
Genus: Betula
Subgenus: Betula subg. Betula
Species:
B. occidentalis
Binomial name
Betula occidentalis
Natural range of Betula occidentalis
Synonyms
  • B. fontinalis Sarg.

It is a deciduous shrub or small tree growing to 14 m (46 ft) high, up to 25 centimetres (10 inches) thick.[2] It tends toward epicormic growth, with many small limbs sprouting from the trunk and causing the wood to be full of small knots. The bark is dark red-brown to blackish,[2] and smooth but not exfoliating. The twigs are glabrous or thinly hairy, and odorless when scraped. The leaves are alternate, ovate to rhombic, 1–7 cm (122+34 in) long and 1–4.5 cm (121+34 in) broad, with a serrated margin and two to six pairs of veins, and a short petiole up to 1.5 cm (12 in) long. The flowers are wind-pollinated catkins 2–4 cm (341+12 in) long, the male catkins pendulous, the female catkins erect. The fruit is 2–3 cm (341+14 in) long and 8–15 millimetres (1412 in) broad, composed of numerous tiny winged seeds packed between the catkin bracts.[1][3][4]

The identity of similar birches in Alaska is disputed; some include them in B. occidentalis, while others regard them as hybrids between Betula neoalaskana and Betula glandulosa.[1]

The foliage is browsed by sheep, goats,[5] and birds; some small birds also consume the seeds.[2]

Some Plateau Indian tribes used water birch to treat pimples and sores.[6]


References


  1. Flora of North America: Betula occidentalis
  2. Arno, Stephen F.; Hammerly, Ramona P. (2020) [1977]. Northwest Trees: Identifying & Understanding the Region's Native Trees (field guide ed.). Seattle: Mountaineers Books. pp. 215–220. ISBN 1-68051-329-X. OCLC 1141235469.
  3. Plants of British Columbia: Betula occidentalis
  4. Jepson Flora: Betula occidentalis
  5. Little, Elbert L. (1980). The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Eastern Region. New York: Knopf. p. 368. ISBN 0-394-50760-6.
  6. Hunn, Eugene S. (1990). Nch'i-Wana, "The Big River": Mid-Columbia Indians and Their Land. University of Washington Press. p. 352. ISBN 0-295-97119-3.

Further reading



На других языках


- [en] Betula occidentalis

[es] Betula occidentalis

Betula occidentalis (también conocido como abedul rojo) es una especie de abedul nativo del oeste de América del Norte, en Canadá desde Yukon al este hasta el oeste de Ontario y al sur en los Estados Unidos desde el este de Washington al este hasta el oeste de Dakota del Norte, y al sur hasta el este de California, el norte de Arizona y el norte de Nuevo México y el suroeste de Alaska. Por lo general ocurre a lo largo de los arroyos en las regiones montañosas.[1] Es el único abedul nativo encontrado a bajas altitudes en el SE de Estados Unidos.

[ru] Берёза западная

Берёза западная (лат. Betula occidentalis) — вид растений рода Берёза (Betula) семейства Берёзовые (Betulaceae).



Текст в блоке "Читать" взят с сайта "Википедия" и доступен по лицензии Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike; в отдельных случаях могут действовать дополнительные условия.

Другой контент может иметь иную лицензию. Перед использованием материалов сайта WikiSort.org внимательно изучите правила лицензирования конкретных элементов наполнения сайта.

2019-2025
WikiSort.org - проект по пересортировке и дополнению контента Википедии