Betula pendula
Silver birch
How do you recognise silver birch?
The leaves are stalked, hairless, and doubly serrated along the edge, and triangular or rhombic in shape. The current year's shoots are rough-surfaced. The bark of a young tree is white, while the base of an older trunk turns black and fissured.
What is it confused with?
Downy birch has smooth, hairy shoots and rounder leaves with a shorter tip. Its branches do not droop, and it grows on wetter ground.
Where does silver birch grow, and when does it flower?
Grows on dryish mineral soils, forest edges, yards, and roadside verges throughout the country. The catkins open in May as the leaves emerge.
Can you collect it for a herbarium?
Silver birch is very common, and a single leafy twig tip is enough for a herbarium. On the label: Note which birch it is, silver or downy, because they are two different species.
Did you know?
The white of the bark comes from betulin, which reflects sunlight and shields the trunk from winter glare. Silver birch is a pioneer species whose tiny winged seeds claim open ground quickly.
Where does silver birch grow in Finland?
The map shows where the species has been recorded. Darker squares mean more observations.
Loading the map
Observations: GBIF ยท Map: CARTO, OpenStreetMap
Sources: fi.wikipedia.org
Identify plants with your phone
Linnea identifies a plant from a photo and tells you its name and its story. Every find takes its own numbered place in your herbarium, with the day and the town where you found it.
