Betula alleghaniensis colored, peeling bark of yellow birch. For young trees where bark has not yet developed, yellow birch can also be identified by its hairy buds and stems; sweet birch has hairless buds. The yellow birch was first described by François André Michaux in 1812 as "Betula lutea". In 1904, Nathaniel Lord Britton described what he considered to be a new closely related species of birch as "Betula alleghaniensis", differing from "B. lutea" by its shorter fruiting scales and mostly cordate (vs. rarely cordate) leaf bases. After comparing the descriptions and illustrations of "B. lutea" and "B. alleghaniensis", Merritt Fernald found
Cunninghamia vegetative propagation for use in forestry plantations. As the tree grows its trunk tends to sucker around the base, particularly following damage to the stem or roots, and it then may grow in a multi-trunked form. Brown bark of mature trees peels off in strips to reveal reddish-brown inner bark. Older specimens often look ragged, as the old needles may cling to stems for up to 5 years. This tree can be mistaken for the rare "Torreya taxifolia", one visible difference being the "Cunninghamia"'s bronze autumn branches which are shed and pile beneath it, as well as the propensity for