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Birch

A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus Betula, in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech-oak family Fagaceae. The genus Betula contains 30 to 60 known taxa of which 11 are on the IUCN 2011 Red List of Threatened Species. They are typically short-lived pioneer species and are widespread in the Northern Hemisphere, particularly in northern areas of temperate climates and in boreal climates. Birch wood is used for a wide range of purposes.

From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

175
accepted species in GBIF
Source: GBIF
4
plants on Plant News
8
research articles
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Other plants in this genus

3 plants
Research across the genus Betula 8 articles

Every article on Plant News that mentions a member of this genus, newest first.

Birch trees on old farmland absorb metals without stunting their growth

If you're converting an old field or pasture into a woodlot, this study suggests birch can tolerate soils with lingering...

Silver Birch soil-health / phytoremediation

Birch bark hosts hidden microbe communities shaped by sun and pollution

Next time you walk past a birch tree, run your hand over the bark on its north side versus south side, you're touching two...

Birch urban-ecology / soil-health

New lab trick pulls more gene-control data from plant cells

The next breakthrough in drought-tolerant crops or disease-resistant trees may hinge on lab techniques like this one, which...

Birch plant-signaling / crop-improvement

Climate change could double spruce bark beetle generations and push spring a month earlier in Sweden

Bark beetles killing spruce trees across northern Europe are already a visible threat in many forests, and warmer summers...

Silver Birch phenology / climate-adaptation

Functional characterization of LbCDF-A, an ER-localized Zn transporter of the ectomycorrhizal fungus Laccaria bicolor

Every pine, oak, birch, and spruce you walk beneath relies on root fungi like Laccaria bicolor to mine zinc and other minerals...

Birch mycorrhizal-networks / soil-health

Facilitative Effects of Alnus viridis ssp. fruticosa on Betula nana ssp. exilis Growth in Arctic Alaska.

Watching which shrubs cluster together in wild landscapes isn't just aesthetics — this study shows that one nitrogen-fixing...

Dwarf birch climate-adaptation / native-plants

Pollen counting made easy: mobile pollen counter provides real-time results in the field.

Every spring when birch or oak pollen coats your car and sends allergy sufferers indoors, no one has had a fast, field-ready...

Birch pollinators / phenology

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