Downy birch

Family Betulaceae. Europe, Western Siberia, Kazakhstan. Protected in reserves. Grows in moist forests, on the edges of bogs, on the shores of lakes, can form crooked woodland at the boundary of the tundra and forest-tundra, occurs singly in high mountains.

Restorative, light-loving mesophyte (but tolerates abundant and stagnant moisture), microtherm, mesotrophic, ecosystem builder (edificator) of native birch forests along the forest boundary in the northern part of the range and in the forest-steppe, as well as in boggy habitats; anthropogenically progressive, unstable ecosystem builder of temporary phytocenoses on burn sites and clearings and a colonizer of native coniferous and broad-leaved forests. In cultivation it is often found in botanical gardens and sometimes used in the landscaping of settlements.

A tree up to 15 m high, with a pure-white trunk that does not form a dark cork at the base; with a broadly branched, ovate crown formed by upward-pointing branches. The bark of young branches is smooth, reddish-brown, later pure white. Young shoots are downy. Leaves glossy, ovate or rhombic, up to 6 cm, sticky and fragrant when young. Unlike the warty birch, ripe seeds remain attached to the catkins for a long time. Ecologically similar to it, but less demanding of light, better tolerates shading and soil waterlogging, more frost-hardy and more widely distributed to the north. In cultivation since 1789.

Has a number of ornamental forms: pyramidal (f. fastigiata), oval-leaved (f. ovalis); rhombic-leaved (f. rombifolia), nettle-leaved (f. urticifolia). There is a purple-leaved form 'Atropurpurea', but it is less widespread.

based on materials from the website www.ultradrome.narod.ru