BETULA PUBESCENS – Downy Birch Characteristics Many people find it difficult to distinguish between Betula pendula – Silver Birch and Betula pubescens  Product Details. Betula pubescens, also commonly known as the Downy Birch, is the lesser known white barked Birch which is native to both the UK and Europe 

Downy birch can be distinguished from silver birch with its smooth, downy shoots, which are hairless and warty in silver birch. The bark of the downy birch is a dull greyish white, whereas the silver birch has striking white, papery bark with black fissures. Silver birch is a pioneer tree. That means it is one of the first trees to colonise new (or cleared) land. It grows widely across the UK preferring a drier, sandier soil then downy birch. This often means downy birch is the more common birch in Ireland and Scotland and at higher altitudes. "The new shoots of a Silver Birch are hairless and covered in 'warts' or glands. (At first glance these can and have been misidentified as insects or insect damage by some enthusiasts). Whereas the While the branches of Silver Birch are pendant, those of the Downy Birch are more erect; other distinguishing features are the orange-tinge to the bark of a Downy Birch; and the fact that the leaves of Silver Birch are quite coarsely toothed at the margin while those of Downy Birch are more finely serrated. Downy birch. The second British native is downy birch, Betula pubescens. A more upright tree than the silver birch but better suited to damper soil and can grow at higher elevations, and so more likely to be found in the north of the country. New shoots on downy birch feel hairy to the touch.

Silver Birch tend to favour drier, faster draining soils and warmer summers. They tend to be more dominant in warmer southern climates. Downy Birch prefers a wetter soil and will happily grow with its feet in water at the side of rivers and in bogs and marshes.

natural regeneration of downy and silver birch on abandoned farmland in Sweden. Silva. Fennica with downy birch (Betula pubescens Ehrh.) and silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) on Dominant height versus maximum stand age for birch  Birches, the most common native trees in Scotland, are a vital part of the Caledonian Forest, both as pioneer species in the pinewoods and through forming  Both species favor acid soils, with Silver Birch tending to occur on sandy, gravely soils, while Downy Birch prefers wetter soils and a cooler climate. Neither species  Silver Birch tend to favour drier, faster draining soils and warmer summers. They tend to be more dominant in warmer southern climates. Downy Birch prefers a wetter soil and will happily grow with its feet in water at the side of rivers and in bogs and marshes. Silver birch (Betula pendula) and the two easily hybridise. Silver birch has hairless and warty shoots whereas downy birch shoots are covered in small, downy hairs. The bark of downy birch isn’t as white and papery as silver birch.

natural regeneration of downy and silver birch on abandoned farmland in Sweden. Silva. Fennica with downy birch (Betula pubescens Ehrh.) and silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) on Dominant height versus maximum stand age for birch 

9 Feb 2020 The Silver birch has an attractive pendulous habit and distinctive white bark that peels away in papery strips. It grows as single-trunk tree that  BETULA PUBESCENS – Downy Birch Characteristics Many people find it difficult to distinguish between Betula pendula – Silver Birch and Betula pubescens  Product Details. Betula pubescens, also commonly known as the Downy Birch, is the lesser known white barked Birch which is native to both the UK and Europe 

Downy birch can be distinguished from silver birch with its smooth, downy shoots, which are hairless and warty in silver birch. The bark of the downy birch is a dull greyish white, whereas the silver birch has striking white, papery bark with black fissures.

Silver birch can easily be confused with the similar downy birch (Betula pubescens). Yet, downy birches are characterised by hairy leaves and young shoots, whereas the same parts on silver birch are hairless. The leaf base of silver birch is usually a right angle to the stalk, while for downy birches, it is rounded. A more upright tree than the silver birch but better suited to damper soil and can grow at higher elevations, and so more likely to be found in the north of the country. New shoots on downy birch feel hairy to the touch. As with the silver birch, a downy birch will attract wildlife to the garden. Birches are easily recognised by their white, papery bark. The Downy birch is a more upright, less 'weeping', tree than the Silver birch. Its leaves are more rounded and grow on hairy stalks, hence the name, 'Downy'. Silver birch can be distinguished from downy birch (B. pubescens) by its drooping branch tips and dark, fissured bark at the base of its trunk. Its young twigs are hairless but covered with resin warts, whereas those of downy birch are hairy but smooth. The leaves of silver birch are doubly serrate, those of downy birch only serrate.

Mature trees can reach 30m in height, forming a light canopy with elegant, drooping branches. Downy birch is more upright than silver birch and the bark is  

Betula pendula, commonly called silver birch or European white birch, is a graceful medium-sized tree with slender pendulous branches and attractive bark. Golden brown on twigs and young branches, the bark matures to silvery white with black clefts. Smooth in young trees, the bark gets rugged at the base in older trees. Silver birch is a popular garden tree and often hybridises with our other native birch, the downy birch, Betula pubescens, which is more common in Scotland. Tolerant of a range of temperatures, it grows as far south as Spain and as far north as Lapland. It thrives in dry woodlands, downs and heaths. ing silver birch and downy birch, on the basis of his. own and several authors investigations, revealed that. the chemical composition of silver birch wood and. downy birch wood sometimes displays The silver birch is the national tree of Finland. It is commonly used as an ornamental plant for parks, gardens and urban environments. Catkin contains hundreds of seeds and a large tree can produce over 1 million seeds a year! Average maximum biological age of silver birch is approximately 100 years,

Betula pendula, commonly called silver birch or European white birch, is a graceful medium-sized tree with slender pendulous branches and attractive bark. Golden brown on twigs and young branches, the bark matures to silvery white with black clefts. Smooth in young trees, the bark gets rugged at the base in older trees.