Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Fabids: Fagales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Betula cordifolia
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 Mountain Paper Birch at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
The question of the appropriate treatment of B. cordifolia and B. papyrifera is difficult (and still controversial), per Weakley's Flora (2022)
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Betula papyrifera var. cordifolia
FAMILY
Betulaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America
Betula cordifolia
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 054-03-003:
Betula papyrifera var. cordifolia FAMILY Betulaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Betula cordifolia
COMMON NAME:
Mountain Paper Birch
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
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Manual of the Trees of North America (Exclusive of Mexico) (Sargent, 1905) mtna_i_245
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Patrick D. McMillan pdmbcordifolia_barkmm1
June Yancey County NC
Mount Mitchell
Bark papery or exfoliating, pinkish-white, per Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004).
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Patrick D. McMillan pdmbcordifolia_lfmm
June Yancey County NC
Mount Mitchell
Leaves are cordate-based, and twigs are nearly glabrous, per Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Betula cordifolia
FAMILY
Betulaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Betula papyrifera var. cordifolia
FAMILY
Betulaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America
Betula cordifolia
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 054-03-003:
Betula papyrifera var. cordifolia
FAMILY
Betulaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Betula cordifolia
202
Tree
Perennial
Monoecious
Habitat: High elevation forests, southwards primarily on talus of avalanche chutes (as in the Black Mountains, Yancey County, NC, and the Great Smoky Mountains, Sevier County, TN), and on talus slopes and adjacent forests at high elevations, per Weakley's Flora
Native to North Carolina
Rare
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Deciduous
Simple
Alternate
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
Staminate calyx minute, pistillate calyx absent
2 stamens in staminate flowers
Inferior ovary
Unisexual
Flowers in catkins (staminate catkins elongate)
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Samara
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Landscaping with Native Trees (Sternberg & Wilson, 1995) p062?
- Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007) p093?
- Trees of the Southeastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1988) p230
- Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance) p42
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004) p078
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