ABOUT THIS BOOK

The stunning Betula, or birch trees, are notoriously difficult to identify despite being one of the major contributors to the beautiful fall foliage famous in eastern North America. With many wrongly named birches appearing in nurseries and arboreta, this new book, the first ever written on the genus, is an important and much-needed work.

The Genus Betula covers all known birches found in North America, Europe, and Asia, along with keys for accurate identification. Chapters include a look at the breeding, cultivation, conservation, and morphology of all species, including several little-known species wonderful for garden and landscape use. The authors present previously unpublished data on recent molecular work and fossils, providing a cytotaxonomic and phylogeographic revision of the Betula genus. The book is accompanied by exquisite specimens of botanical art, including full-color paintings by Josephine Hague, making it a valuable tool for arboriculturists as well as professional and amateur gardeners.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Kenneth Ashburner has traveled extensively in search of birches, crossing Japan, Korea, Russia, Siberia, the Himalayas, and Europe, as well as Canada and the United States. His specialist arboretum was awarded National Collection status for both wild origin birch and alder. Hugh A. McAllister has lectured in botany at universities in Glasgow, Newcastle, and Liverpool and was deputy director at the University of Liverpool’s Ness Botanic Gardens.

REVIEWS

"This detailed account is accessible, aimed not only at scholars and students, but those intellectually curious about these important woody plants."

— Current Books on Gardening & Botany

"'Long-awaited’. . .much-needed as a contemporary review of the whole genus Betula, from both botanical and horticultural perspectives.

— Garden Design Journal

"On first opening this book I thought I would have a quick flick through to get a feel of it, before I read it. But I found myself stopping and reading parts, getting engrossed and wanting to read some more. . . . With decades of research behind it, taken from herbarium specimens, material from wild trees and arboreta collections, this is a book brimming with information and science-based facts."

— Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society

TABLE OF CONTENTS

List of Paintings
New Taxa and Combinations
Foreword
Lawrence Banks
Preface
Hugh McAllister
Acknowledgements
List of Photographers

1. Introduction
The Appeal of birches
Birches in the wild
The genus Betula
Regeneration and life cycle
Chromosome numbers in Betula
Molecular phylogenetics
Phylogeography and the fossil history of Betula
2. Breeding Systems and Hybridisation
Self-incompatibility, self-compatibility and apomixis
Hybrids and hydridisation in Betula
3. Cultivation
Buying a birch—attractive features
Planting
Pests and diseases
Propagation
4. Conservation
Conservation priorities for Betula
The role of Botanic Gardens in conservation
5. Morphology of Betula
6. Identification and Naming of Birches
7. Taxonomic Treatment
Key to the species of Betula
Note on the choice of characters used in the key
Subgenus Nipponbetula
Section Nipponbetula (Species 1)
Subgenus Asperae
Section Asperae
Subsection Asperae (Species 2–9)
Subsection Chinenses (Species 10–12)
Section Lentae (Species 13–19)
Subgenus Acuminatae
Section Acuminatae (Species 20–23)
Subgenus Betula
Section Dahuricae (Species 24–26)
Section Costatae (Species 27–30)
Section Betula (Species 31–39)
Section Apterocaryon (Species 40–46)
8. Cultivars
Compiled by Paul Bartlett
Glossary
References and Bibliography
Index of Scientific Names
Index of Common Names
Index of Cultivar Names and Hybrids