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Betula
Also called Birches, Waskway
Birch (genus Betula) is a group of small to medium deciduous trees and shrubs, mostly from cool northern climates, with papery, horizontally marked bark. Commonly grown members include silver birch (Betula pendula) and paper birch (Betula papyrifera); most need full sun, cool roots and moist but well-drained soil.
A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus Betula (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech-oak family Fagaceae. The genus Betula contains 30 to 60 known taxa of which 11 are on the IUCN 2011 Red List of Threatened Species. They are typically short-lived pioneer species and are widespread in the Northern Hemisphere, particularly in northern areas of temperate climates and in boreal climates. Birch wood is used for a wide range of purposes.
Birches often form even-aged stands on light, well-drained, particularly acidic soils. They are regarded as pioneer species, rapidly colonizing open ground especially in secondary successional sequences following a disturbance or fire. Birches are early tree species to become established in primary successions, and can become a threat to heathland if the seedlings and saplings are not suppressed by grazing or periodic burning. Birches are generally lowland species, but some species, such as Betula nana, have a montane distribution. In the British Isles, there is some difference between the environments of Betula pendula and Betula pubescens, and some hybridization, though both are "opportunists in steady-state woodland systems". Mycorrhizal fungi, including sheathing (ecto)mycorrhizas, are found in some cases to be beneficial to tree growth.
Because of the hardness of birch, it is easier to shape it with power tools; it is quite difficult to work it with hand tools.
Betula utilis subsp. albosinensis · Yellow birch · Erman's Birch · Betula gmelinii · Sweet birch · Monarch birch · Medwediew's Birch · River birch · Paper birch · Curly birch · Silver Birch · Downy Birch
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Birch by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
