How to Identify Birch Trees
Birch trees are a very common tree for landscaping and beautifying your yard. Thriving in most types of soil, they are a hearty hardwood, known for their white, papery bark. Actually, there are many types of birch, and not all have the loose, curling bark, but all are lovely additions to the scenery and can be quite easy to identify. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Note that the flowers appear in early spring before the leaves begin to grow. They are small, greenish in color and have no petals.
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Observe the fruit of the tree. They are cone-like, approximately one inch long and narrow. The "nutlet" is surrounded by smooth wings that project from and surround the single nut.
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Look closely at the leaves. These are oval, with a curving base and straight veins. The leaves are double-teethed, meaning there are short teeth between the long teeth around the edge of the leaf.
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Check the bark of the birch tree. Many varieties of birch have smooth bark, although most people identify the birch tree as one with curling, paper-like bark that peels off in strips. Birch trees range in color, including yellowish orange, silver and white.
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Step back to get a good look at the height and tree-span. Some birch trees reach 70 feet in height and most have an average height of 20 feet. The tree and root-span is approximately half the height of the tree.
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