1710

ARBORETUM AND FRUTICETUM.

PART III.

and of the head 32 ft. In Devonshire, at Endsleigh Cottage, 10 years planted, it is 27 ft. high ; inBuckinghamshire, at Temple House, 40 years planted, it is 25 ft. high, diameter of the trunk 10 in.,and of the head 16 ft. ; in Staffordshire, at Trentham, 26 years planted, it is 34 ft. high. In Ireland,near Dublin, at Cypress Grove, it is 55 ft. high, diameter of the trunk 1 ft. 9 in., and of the head40ft. In France, at Paris, in the Jardin des Plantes, 30 years old, it is 32 ft. high, the diameter ofthe trunk 21 ft., and of the head 30 ft. In Hanover, at Gottingen, in the Botanic Garden, 20years planted, it is 30 ft. high.

Commercial Statistics. Price of plants, in the London nurseries, from I s. toIs. 6 d. each ; and of seeds, Is. per quart. At New York, plants are 25 centseach, and seeds 1 dollar per pound, or 8 dollars per bushel.

¥ 9. B. ni'gra L. The black Birch.

Identification. Willd. Sp. PL, 4. p. 464., Baum., p. 56.; Ait. Hort. Kew., 3. p. 336.; Pursh FI. Amer.

Sept., 2. p. 621.; N. Du Ham., 3. p. 203. ; Dend. Brit., t. 153. ; Lindleyjn Penny Cycl.Synonym.es. B. lanulbsa Michx. Fl. Bor. Amer., 2. p. 181., N. Du Ham., 3. p. 206.; ? B. rubraMichx. Arb., 2. p. 162. ; B. angulkta Lodd■ Cat., ed. 1836; red Birch, Amer.

Engravings. Dend. Brit, t. 153.; Michx. Fl. Bor. Amer., 2. t. 3.; Willd. Baum., t. 1. f. 6.; N.Du Ham., 3. t. 51.; Bot. Cab., t. 1248.; out figs. 1562., and 1563.; and the plates of this tree inour last Volume.

Spec. Char., Sfc. Leaves rhomboid-ovate, doubly serrated, acute ; pubescentbeneath, entire at the base. Scales of the strobiles villose; segments li-near, equal. {Willd. Sp. PL, iv. p. 464.) A tree, a native of North America,from New Jersey to Carolina; attaining the height of 70 ft.; and floweringin May. Introduced as B. nigra, in 1736, by Peter Collinson; and again,as B. angulata, in 1817, by Messrs. Loddiges. We have adopted the spe-cific name of nigra, because it was preferred by Willdenow and Pursh. Thefigure in Michaux, of which our fig. 1562. is a correct copy, differs so muchfrom that given in Bend. Brit, {oar fig. 1563), which we know to be a faith-ful imitation of the plant which we intend to describe, as it is to he seen atMessrs. Loddiges’s, and in various other nurseries, that we are inclined tothink there must he some error in the application of the name to the figurein Michaux ; though his description agrees perfectly with our plant'—-thedifference between the cuts being in the position of the catkins.

Description, Sfc. A tree, when full grown, attaining the height of 70 ft., inVirginia and North Carolina. The trunk and the largest limbs are coveredwith a thick, deeply furrowed, greenish bark; but, on trees with trunks notexceeding 8 in. or 10 in. in diameter, the epidermis isreddish, or of a cinnamon colour; “ whence, probably,”says Michaux, “ the appropriate denomination of redbirch. The epidermis of this species, like that of thecanoe birch {B. papyracea), divides itself transverselyinto thin transparent sheets, which appear to be com-posed of a mixed substance, instead of presenting a purehomogeneous texture. Hence they have not a uniformtransparency, nor a perfectly even surface: comparedwith the bark of the canoe birch, they are like coarsepaper compared with fine. When this tree is fully ex-panded, its summit is ample; but the uncommon thicknessof its brandies prevents it from appearing tufted. Thetwigs which form the extremity of the tree are long,flexible, and pendulous; and the limbs are of a browncomplexion, spotted with white : their bark is slightlyuneven; while on other branches it is smooth and glossy.

The petioles of the red birch are short and downy ; theleaves, on young trees, are about 3 in. long, and 2 in.broad, of a light green on the upper surface, and whitish beneath ; though onold trees they are much smaller : they are doubly denticulated at the edge, veryacuminate at the summit, and terminated at the base in an acute angle, moreregular than is seen in the leaf of any other tree. The female catkins, inAmerica, are 5 in. or 6 in. long, straight, and nearly cylindrical; about London,they are not half the size. The seeds are ripe in the beginning of June.”( N. Amer. Syl., ii. p. 101.) “ No species,” Dr. Lindley observes, “ can be better