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

Betula pumila L.
bog birch (glandular birch; low birch; scrub birch; swamp birch)
Betulaceae (Birch family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

General:
Deciduous shrub, 0.5-3 m tall; twigs densely hairy, slightly glandular.

Leaves:
Alternate, deciduous, thick and leathery in texture, 1-4 cm long, stalks less than 1 cm long, 4 or more lateral veins, with 10 or more coarse teeth on each side.

Flowers:
Male and female flowers in separate catkins 1.5-2 cm long; flowers emerging before or with the leaves; catkins breaking up at maturity.

Fruits:
Nutlets with narrow wings, 1/2 the width of the body of the nutlets.

Notes:
This species apparently hybridizes with B. pendula and B. papyrifera in our area (Brayshaw 1996b).

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecological Framework for Betula pumila

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
Site Information	Avg	Min	Max
Elevation (metres)	983	410	1880
Slope Gradient (%)	3	0	80
Aspect (degrees) [0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]	327	22	360
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric]	6	0	8
Modal Nutrient Regime Class	C
# of field plots species was recorded in:	80
Modal BEC Zone Class	SBS
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in	BWBS(12), ESSF(6), ICH(4), IDF(1), MS(4), SBPS(15), SBS(29), SWB(1)
Source: Klinkenberg 2013

Origin Status	Provincial Status	BC List (Red Blue List)	COSEWIC
Native	S5	Yellow	Not Listed

BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer.

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