Birch

Betula spp.

• Height: up to 20 m
• Trunk: conspicuously white (betulin), smooth bark, becoming cracked and darker with age
• Crown: usually slender
• Leaves: rhombic to triangular, ovate, 4–7 cm long
• Flowers: elongated, pendulous male catkins, female inflorescences
• Fruits/Seeds: 3–5 mm long, two-winged, single-seeded nuts
• Other: very thin, delicate twigs, often drooping

^{Photos: BUND Naturschutz in Bayern (1,2,3), Dorit Zimmermann (4)}