Taxonomy
Family: Betulaceae
Habitat
Banks and floodplains of streams and rivers.
Associates
Frequently found growing with silver maple.
Distribution
NH south to FL, west to southern Ontario, southeast MN, eastern KS, and TX.
Morphology
Medium tree, typically multi-stemmed. Leaves rhombic-ovate, doubly serrate, broad base. Twigs slender, red-brown, with rough lenticels; buds acute. Bark exfoliating heavily. Fruit a cylindrical pubescent ament, erect, maturing in late spring
Notes
Flowers early to mid May in northeast IL.
Wetland Indicator: Facultative Wetland
Rusty-brown or pink-gray exfoliating bark is most readily recognizable feature.
References
Gleason, Henry A.
and A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States
and Adjacent Canada. Second Ed.
The New York Botanical Garden. Bronx, NY
Swink, F. and G.
Wilhelm. 1994. Plants of the Chicago Region.
Indiana Academy of Science. The Morton Arboretum. Lisle, Illinois
USDA, NRCS. 2002.
The PLANTS Database, Version 3.5 (http://plants.usda.gov).
National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA
© Michael Hough 2004 |