Plant Family: Betulaceae
Growth Form: A small tree, less than 10 meters tall, often with two or more trunks growing from the same rootstock.
Leaves: Alternate, simple, coarsely toothed, triangular, with a long tapering apex.
Bark: White to gray-white, with numerous small dark lenticels and large black chevrons where the branches meet the main trunk; the bark does not peel.
Flowers: Male catkins at the twig ends, female catkins back along the branches in the leaf axils.
Fruits: Broad, stiff aments that are solitary from the leaf axils.
Habitat: Woodland edges, thickets, roadsides, unkempt meadows; tolerates gravelly, nutrient-poor soils.
Range: Common throughout New England and the Maritime Provinces, with a more limited distribution to the south and west.
Key Features: Long-pointed leaves and black chevrons where the branches meet the trunk are both good field marks.
Comments: Gray Birch is a pioneer species that is one of the first to volunteer on abandoned fields, or after fire or logging.
