Identifying Birch

Leaf

Simple leaf that is roughly triangular with rounded corners and a leaf margin that is quite toothed. The leaves of the downy birch are rounder in shape than those of silver birch, but those of silver birch are more noticeably serrated – even the teeth may have teeth!

Buds, Bark and Stem

The young twigs of downy birch have small hairs, whereas the silver birch twigs have small white wart like structures. The buds are quite prominent on the slender twigs and may be sticky.

The bark is usually bright in colour, from red on very young stems to becoming white/silver with age. It then develops dark grey/black ‘arrows and diamonds’ or horizontal streaks of grey in the case of downy birch. Consequently older trees have a much darker trunk and bark.

Flowers and Fruits

Birch trees have separate male and female flowers, that is, they are monoecious. The flowers appear at the same time as the new leaves in the spring. The male flowers are drooping catkins, about 3 cm long. Female flowers are upright and between 1 and 2cm tall. The flowers are wind pollinated. The pollinated female flowers elongate and form hanging catkins. These contain hundreds of minute seeds, which are dispersed on the wind.