Betula nana: Difference between revisions
No, not evergreen - at least not in Scandinavia! (HOAX or differenses between subspecies?) |
the red color in the autumn is typical (see for instance images at Commons) |
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==Description== |
==Description== |
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[[Image:Diapensia lapponica 1996-07-26.jpg|thumb|left|Diapensia lapponica with a branch of dwarf birch, [[Nunavut]], July 1996]] |
[[Image:Diapensia lapponica 1996-07-26.jpg|thumb|left|Diapensia lapponica with a branch of dwarf birch, [[Nunavut]], July 1996]] |
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It is a [[shrub]] growing to 1-1.2 m high. The bark is non-peeling and shiny red-copper colored.<ref>Ewing, Susan. The Great Alaska Nature Factbook. Portland: Alaska Northwest Books, 1996.</ref> The [[leaf|leaves]] are rounded, 6-20 mm diameter, with a bluntly toothed margin. |
It is a [[shrub]] growing to 1-1.2 m high. The bark is non-peeling and shiny red-copper colored.<ref>Ewing, Susan. The Great Alaska Nature Factbook. Portland: Alaska Northwest Books, 1996.</ref> The [[leaf|leaves]] are rounded, 6-20 mm diameter, with a bluntly toothed margin. They became red in the autumn. |
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The [[fruit]]ing [[catkin]]s are erect, 5-15 mm long and 4-10 mm broad. |
The [[fruit]]ing [[catkin]]s are erect, 5-15 mm long and 4-10 mm broad. |
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Revision as of 16:53, 25 October 2010
| Dwarf Birch | |
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| Species: | B. nana
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| Binomial name | |
| Betula nana | |
Betula nana (Dwarf Birch) is a species of birch in the family Betulaceae, found mainly in the tundra of the Arctic region.
Description
It is a shrub growing to 1-1.2 m high. The bark is non-peeling and shiny red-copper colored.[1] The leaves are rounded, 6-20 mm diameter, with a bluntly toothed margin. They became red in the autumn. The fruiting catkins are erect, 5-15 mm long and 4-10 mm broad.
Distribution
B. nana is native to arctic and cool temperate regions of northern Europe, northern Asia and northern North America and it will grow in a variety of conditions.It can be found in Greenland. Outside of far northern areas, it is usually found only growing in mountains above 300 m, up to 835 m in Scotland and 2200 m in the Alps. Its eastern range limit is on Svalbard, where it is confined to warm sites.
Ecology
There are two subspecies:
- Betula nana subsp. nana. Canada (Baffin Island), Greenland, northern Europe (south to the Alps at high altitudes), northwestern Asia. Young twigs hairy, but without resin; leaves longer (to 20 mm), usually as long as broad.
- Betula nana subsp. exilis. Northeastern Asia, northern North America (Alaska, Canada east to Nunavut). Young twigs hairless or only with scattered hairs, but coated in resin; leaves shorter (not over 12 mm long), often broader than long.
References
- ^ Ewing, Susan. The Great Alaska Nature Factbook. Portland: Alaska Northwest Books, 1996.
