''Betula glandulosa'', the American dwarf birch, also known as resin birch or shrub birch, is a species of

birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 3 ...

native to

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

Description

American dwarf birch is a multi-stemmed

shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

typically growing to tall, often forming dense thickets. The trunks are slender, rarely over diameter, with smooth, dark brown

bark Bark may refer to: Common meanings * Bark (botany), an outer layer of a woody plant such as a tree or stick * Bark (sound), a vocalization of some animals (which is commonly the dog) Arts and entertainment * ''Bark'' (Jefferson Airplane album), ...

. The

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

are nearly circular to oval, long and broad, with a toothed margin. The

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...

ing

catkin A catkin or ament is a slim, cylindrical flower cluster (a spike), with inconspicuous or no petals, usually wind- pollinated ( anemophilous) but sometimes insect-pollinated (as in '' Salix''). It contains many, usually unisexual flowers, arra ...

s are erect, long and broad. It is closely related to the

dwarf birch ''Betula nana'', the dwarf birch, is a species of birch in the family Betulaceae, found mainly in the tundra of the Arctic region. Description It is a monoecious, deciduous shrub growing up to high. The bark is non-peeling and shiny red-copper ...

(''Betula nana''), and is sometimes treated as a

subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

of it, as ''B. nana'' subsp. ''glandulosa''. It is distinguished from typical ''B. nana'' by the presence of glandular warts on the shoots and longer leaf petioles. Hybrids with several other birches occur.

Distribution and habitat

This plant occurs in

arctic The Arctic (; . ) is the polar regions of Earth, polar region of Earth that surrounds the North Pole, lying within the Arctic Circle. The Arctic region, from the IERS Reference Meridian travelling east, consists of parts of northern Norway ( ...

and cool

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (approximately 23.5° to 66.5° N/S of the Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ran ...

areas from

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

east to

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

and southern

Greenland Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. It is by far the largest geographically of three constituent parts of the kingdom; the other two are metropolitan Denmark and the Faroe Islands. Citizens of Greenlan ...

, and south at high altitudes to northern

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

, and the

Black Hills The Black Hills is an isolated mountain range rising from the Great Plains of North America in western South Dakota and extending into Wyoming, United States. Black Elk Peak, which rises to , is the range's highest summit. The name of the range ...

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state, state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Dakota people, Dakota Sioux ...

in the west, and locally south to northern

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

in the east. In the Arctic, it occurs down to sea level, while in the south of the range, it grows as high as altitude. It is typically a wetland species, growing in bogs, muskegs, or other moist and nutrient-deficient soils, but can be found in a wide variety of sites, ranging from rocky subarctic locales to boreal forests with deep, organic-rich soils. It is the most common shrub at treeline in interior Alaska, forming a nearly continuous zone between the treeline and alpine tundra.

Ecology

Many species of wildlife rely on this shrub as a food source, particularly ungulates such as moose, deer, caribou and elk. Its preference as a food source varies depending on the specific population; moose in Alberta, for example, are known to graze on it heavily, whereas moose in Alaska are observed to eat it at low levels. Bears, small mammals, birds, and insects also rely on the shrub as a food source. American dwarf birch provides cover for ptarmigans, and grizzly bears use it consistently to construct their dens. This species is valued for its erosion control potential, and has been used to help stabilize stream-banks.

References

Flora of North America: ''Betula glandulosa''RangeMap
*Hunt, D. (1993). ''Betula. Proceedings of the IDS Betula Symposium 2–4 October 1992''. International Dendrology Society.

External links

USDA Plants Profile for ''Betula glandulosa'' (resin birch)Calflora Database: ''Betula glandulosa'' (Resin birch)

glandulosa Glandulosa may refer to: * Glandulosa, a word used in systematic names * '' Glandulosa (insect)'', a genus of crickets in the tribe Petaloptilini {{disambig ...

Flora of Subarctic America Flora of Western Canada Flora of Eastern Canada Flora of Alaska Flora of the Northwestern United States Flora of the Southwestern United States Flora of the Northeastern United States Flora of the Western United States Flora of California Flora of Greenland Flora of New Mexico Flora of the Cascade Range Flora of the Rocky Mountains Flora of the North-Central United States {{Fagales-stub