Yellow birch

The yellow birch is the largest of the birch species in eastern Canada. It is a medium-sized tree, reaching heights of 25 to 33 meters. Its trunk is straight and can grow up to 60 cm in diameter.

The bark of the yellow birch gives off a scent reminiscent of wintergreen. It is thin, shiny, and reddish when the tree is young. Over time, it gradually turns dull yellow before darkening to a coppery hue. As the tree ages, the bark splits into large peeling layers ragged edges.

The slender, brown twigs of the yellow birch are usually slightly pubescent. The buds are also covered in fine hairs, especially when the tree is young. They are pointed and display two shades of brown on each scale.

The alternate, simple, and acuminate leaves (ending in a pointed tip) are doubly serrated. Their upper surface is dark yellow-green, while the underside is paler.

The flowers are grouped in greenish catkins. The fruits, known as nutlets (from the Latin nucula, meaning “small nut”), are clustered within a sturdy, oval, upright cone-shaped catkin, which sometimes persists throughout the winter.

In Quebec, the yellow birch is sometimes called merisier in French. However, the true merisier is a European tree, Prunus avium (wild cherry). The Quebec French name comes from the similarity between their leaves.