European White birch. Betulus alba.

The European White birch. (B. alba.) This species, the common birch tree of Europe, is intermediate in appearance and qualities between our Canoe birch and White birch. The latter it resembles in its foliage, the former in its large size and the excellence of its wood. There is a distinct variety of this, to which we have alluded, called the Weeping birch (Var. pendula), which is very rapid in its growth, and highly graceful in its form. From the great beauty of our native species, this is perhaps the only European sort which it is very desirable to introduce into our collections.