Betula alleghaniensis Betula alleghaniensis Betula alleghaniensis, the yellow birch or golden birch, is a large and important lumber species of birch native to North-eastern North America. Its vernacular names refer to the color of the tree's bark. The name "Betula lutea" was used expansively for this tree but has now been replaced. "Betula alleghaniensis" is the provincial tree of Quebec, where it is commonly called "merisier", a name which in France is used for the wild cherry. It is a medium-sized, typically single stemmed, deciduous tree reaching tall (exceptionally to ) with a trunk typically in diameter. Yellow birch is a relatively
Alnus cordata with a very long season in leaf, from April to December in the Northern Hemisphere; they are alternate, cordate (heart-shaped), rich glossy green, 5–12 cm long, with a finely serrated margin. The slender cylindrical male catkins are pendulous, reddish and up to 10 cm long; pollination is in early spring, before the leaves emerge. The female catkins are ovoid, when mature in autumn 2–3 cm long and 1.5–2 cm broad, dark green to brown, hard, woody, and superficially similar to some conifer cones. The small winged seeds disperse through the winter, leaving the old woody, blackish 'cones' on the tree