E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Betula neoalaskana Sarg.
Alaska paper birch (northwestern white birch; resin birch)
Betulaceae (Birch family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

© Jamie Fenneman  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #26105)

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Distribution of Betula neoalaskana
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Species Information

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General:
Deciduous tree, 10-30 m tall; young twigs with yellowish, wartlike resin glands; bark thin, smooth, pale and papery.
Leaves:
Alternate, deciduous, wedge-shaped in outline, doubly saw-toothed, thin and membranous, glabrous below, usually 2.5-8 cm long; leaf stalks more than 1 cm long.
Flowers:
Male and female flowers in separate catkins 2-4 cm long; flowers emerging before or with the leaves; catkins breaking up at maturity.
Fruits:
Nutlets with broad wings, at least twice as wide as the body of the nutlet; bracts with rounded, lateral lobes.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Wet bogs, fens, swamps or moist forest sites in the montane zone; frequent in NE BC; N to AK, YT and NT and E to ON.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Betula neoalaskana

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
Site Information
 Value / Class

Minimum

Average

Maximum
Elevation (metres) 305 712 1815
Slope Gradient (%) 0 8 80
Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W] 		0 74 330
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric] 		1 4 8
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class		 C
Number of field plots
 species was recorded in:		 85
Modal BEC Zone Class
 BWBS
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in: BWBS(76), ESSF(1), ICH(1), SBS(1), SWB(2)

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Betula alaskana Sarg.
Betula papyrifera subsp. humilis (Regel) HultTn
Betula papyrifera var. humilis (Regel) Fern. & Raup
Betula papyrifera var. neoalaskana (Sarg.) Raup
Betula resinifera Britt.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Flora North America treatment for Betulaceae
 Flora North America treatment for Betula neoalaskana
Genetic information (NCBI Taxonomy Database)
 International Plant Names Index
 Taxonomic Information from the World Flora Online
 Integrated Taxonomic Information System

Additional Photo Sources

Images From CalPhoto
UT Austin's Native Plant Database
 Google Image Search
 Flickr Image Search

General References

Google Scholar Search
Family References
 General Botanical References for BC
Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2020. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2025-03-23 5:14:58 PM ]
Disclaimer: The information contained in the E-Flora atlas pages is derived from expert sources as cited in each section. This information is scientifically based. E-Flora also acts as a portal to other sites via deep links. As always, users should refer to the original sources for complete information. E-Flora BC is not responsible for the accuracy or completeness of the original information.
© E-Flora BC: An initiative of the Spatial Data Lab, Department of Geography UBC, and the UBC Herbarium.