Betula populifolia Marsh.
Detail
- Family
- Betulaceae
- Botanical Name
- Betula populifolia Marsh.
- Common Name
- Gray Birch
- Synonym(s)
- Flora of Virginia Name/Status
- Betula populifolia Marsh.
- Comments
- Our largest native population is in the general vicinity of Big Meadows in Shenandoah National Park, where this species has reached a mature stage with little recruitment as the old fields of that area have gradually become reforested. This population is disjunct from populations in western Maryland, central and northern Pennsylvania, and areas further north, where it is a common early-successional tree. Saplings have also recently appeared in the open, seepy, rocky, drawn-down bed of Mountain Lake on Salt Pond Mountain in Giles County.
- Habitat
- Young upland forests, old fields, mafic fens, and an exposed lake bed. Rare, mountains; restricted to but locally common in a small area in and around Big Meadows, Shenandoah National Park, Page and Madison counties (Northern Blue Ridge). The species is intolerant of shade and responds positively to disturbances such as fire.
- Native Status
- Native
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