Abstract
Morphological variation was analyzed in the endangeredBetula uber and sympatric dark-barked tree birches,B. lenta andB. alleghaniensis, to determine the extent of differences among the three taxa. Univariate and multivariate analyses of leaf and fruit characters indicated that the three taxa are morphologically distinct, thatB. uber is more similar toB. lenta than toB. alleghaniensis, that intermediates betweenB. uber andB. lenta do not occur, and that leaves are necessary for absolute separation ofB. uber fromB. lenta because of overlap of fruit characters. Field observations of the bark indicate no differences betweenB. uber andB. lenta while those of growth form suggest thatB. uber may have a more compact crown thanB. lenta. The evidence presented here supports an alliance ofB. uber with the dark-barked tree birches (seriesCostatae).
Literature cited
Ashe, W. W. 1918. Notes onBetula. Rhodora 20: 63–64.
Dancik, B. P. & B. V. Barnes. 1975. Leaf variability in yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis) in relation to environment. Canad. J. For. Res. 5: 149–155.
Dunn, G. & B. S. Everitt. 1982. An introduction to mathematical taxonomy. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England.
Fernald, M. L. 1945. Notes onBetula in eastern North America. Rhodora 47: 303–328.
Hayden, W. J. & S. M. Hayden. 1984. Wood anatomy and relationships ofBetula uber. Castanea 49: 26–30.
Johnson, A. G. 1954.Betula lenta var.uber Ashe. Rhodora 56: 129–131.
Mazzeo, P. M. 1974.Betula uber—what is it and where is it? Castanea 39: 273–278.
Nie, N. H., C. H. Hull, J. G. Jenkins, K. Steinbrenner & D. H. Bent. 1975. SPSS: statistical package for the social sciences. 2nd ed. McGraw-Hill, New York.
Ogle, D. W. & P. M. Mazzeo. 1976.Betula uber, the Virginia round-leaf birch, rediscovered in southwest Virginia. Castanea 41: 248–256.
SAS Institute. 1979. SAS user's guide, 1979 edition. SAS Institute, Raleigh, N.C.
Sharik, T. L. 1980. The endangered Virginia round-leafbirch (Betula uber (Ashe) Fernald): a challenge to the management of rare and local tree populations. Pages 67–77.In: P. P. Feret & T. L. Sharik, editors. Proc. Conf. on Dendrology in the Eastern Deciduous Forest Biome, VPI & SU, Blacksburg, Va., Sept. 11–13, 1979.
— & B. V. Barnes. 1971. Hybridization ofBetula alleghaniensis Britt. andB. lenta L.: a comparative analysis of controlled crosses. Forest Sci. 17: 415–424.
——. 1979. Natural variation in morphology among diverse populations of yellow b birch (Betula alleghaniensis) and sweet birch (B. lenta). Canad. J. Bot. 57: 1932–1939.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1978. Determination that 11 plant taxa are endangered species and 2 plant taxa are threatened species. Fed. Reg. 43(81): 17190–17916.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sharik, T.L., Ford, R.H. Variation and taxonomy of Betula uber, B. Lenta, and B. alleghaniensis. Brittonia 36, 307–316 (1984). https://doi.org/10.2307/2806532
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2806532