Bog birch

Family: Betulaceae. Other Russian names — small-statured birch, low-growing birch.

Tree medium-sized (rarely over 20 m tall) with branches held strictly upright that never droop.

Bark white in youth, grayish-black in old age. Peels off transversely in thin strips.

Leaves ovate-elliptic, 3-5 cm long, thin and covered with hairs on both upper and lower surfaces. Grows on moist as well as dry, poor sandy soils.