Betula uber Betula uber Betula uber, Virginia round-leaf birch, is a rare species of tree in the birch family. One of the most endangered species of North American trees, it is endemic to Smyth County, in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is part of the temperate broadleaf and mixed forests biome. The tree was first described in 1918 as a variety of "Betula lenta", and elevated to species status in 1945. It hybridizes with "B. lenta" and it has been suggested that it is actually a round-leaved mutant form of "B. lenta". Some authorities prefer to treat it as a variety.
Pterocarya fraxinifolia appear in April, the male catkins thick and green, 7.5 – 12.5 cm long, the females longer with less dense flowers, bearing red styles forming fruiting catkins 30 – 50 cm long, the green, winged, nuts approximately 1.8 cm wide. The species is fast growing and grows best on flat ground or shallow slopes near river banks and in deep moist soils. The climate associated with the distribution of this tree includes mild winters and mild humid summers. It generally grows in mixed stands with other species and rarely grows in pure stands. Fossils of "Pterocarya fraxinifolia" have been described