Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Fabids: Fagales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Betula alleghaniensis
FAMILY
Betulaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
You may also want to check Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of North Carolina
Read more about Yellow Birch at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
INCLUDING
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Betula alleghaniensis var. alleghaniensis
FAMILY
Betulaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Betula alleghaniensis
INCLUDING Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Betula alleghaniensis var. alleghaniensis
INCLUDING Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Betula alleghaniensis var. macrolepis
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 3 (1997)
Betula alleghaniensis
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 054-03-001:
Betula lutea FAMILY Betulaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Betula alleghaniensis
COMMON NAME:
Yellow Birch
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
Manual of the Trees of North America (Exclusive of Mexico) (Sargent, 1905) mtna_i_240
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_belu_001_lvd
)
JK Marlow jkm210423_9685
April Jackson County NC
)
Keith Bradley kab_b_alleghaniensis_0604
April Henderson County NC
Pisgah National Forest
)
Keith Bradley kab_b_alleghaniensis_0608
April Henderson County NC
Pisgah National Forest
)
JK Marlow jkm0405m_02
May Sevier County TN
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
)
JK Marlow jkm060508_040
May Macon County NC
Nantahala National Forest: Wayah Ranger District
)
Keith Bradley kab_b_alleghaniensis_8464
May Swain County NC
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmballegheniens_deepgap
May Watauga County NC
Bark silvery-gray or shiny yellow, horizontal elongated lenticels, peeling, per Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance).
)
JK Marlow s040503_d
May Sevier County TN
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Pairs of leaves on short shoots on all branches after the 1st year's growth, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
)
JK Marlow jkm250625_1283
June Jackson County NC
Big Ridge Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm250625_1304
June Jackson County NC
Big Ridge Preserve
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmballegheni_barkoldgfm
June Avery County NC
Grandfather Mountain
Bark of larger trunks fissured, forming reddish-brown, scaly plates, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
)
JK Marlow jkm090726_119
July Buncombe County NC
Blue Ridge Parkway
)
JK Marlow jkm090726_122
July Buncombe County NC
Blue Ridge Parkway
Pistillate flowers in erect catkins about 3/4" long, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
)
JK Marlow jkm090726_125
July Buncombe County NC
Blue Ridge Parkway
Leaves 2-ranked on short shoots, bases rounded to heart-shaped or unequal, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
)
JK Marlow jkm150814_706
August Jackson County NC
Whiteside Mountain
Bark of B. alleghaniensis (left) papery & peeling, vs. that of B. lenta (right).
)
JK Marlow s050806_a1
August Transylvania County NC
Pisgah National Forest: Pisgah Ranger District
Leaves often more prominently doubly serrate than those of black birch, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
)
Stephanie C. Brundage scb_101622Hayesville01ed
October Clay County NC
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmballeghenien_brklvl11
Month Unknown Avery County NC
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmballegheniensis_brp
Month Unknown NC
Blue Ridge Parkway
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Betula alleghaniensis
FAMILY
Betulaceae
INCLUDING
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Betula alleghaniensis var. alleghaniensis
FAMILY
Betulaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Betula alleghaniensis
INCLUDING
Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Betula alleghaniensis var. alleghaniensis
INCLUDING
Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Betula alleghaniensis var. macrolepis
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 3
Betula alleghaniensis
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 054-03-001:
Betula lutea
FAMILY
Betulaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Betula alleghaniensis
200
Tree
Perennial
Monoecious
Habitat: forests at medium to high elevations, rarely at low elevations. Northward in a variety of cooler mesic to wet forests and swamps, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common in NC, uncommon in GA, rare in SC
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Deciduous
Simple
Alternate
FLOWER:
Spring
Staminate calyx minute, pistillate calyx absent
2 stamens in staminate flowers
Inferior ovary
Unisexual
Flowers in catkins (staminate catkins elongate)
FRUIT:
Summer
Samara
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p153
- Identifying Trees: An All-Season Guide to Eastern North America (Williams, 2007) p166
- Landscaping with Native Trees (Sternberg & Wilson, 1995) p056
- Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007) p088
- Trees of the Southeastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1988) p229?
- Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance) p42
- Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont (Spira, 2011) p226
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004) p076
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