The epithets “black,” “white,” “red,” and “yellow,” which are so
commonly misapplied to certain trees for specific distinction,—a
misapplication very remarkable with reference to the poplar,—are very
well applied to the different species of birch, and serve as
intelligible marks of identity. The Black Birch, for example, is clothed
with a dark-colored bark, which comes nearer a pure black than any other
color. No person would dispute the color of the white birches; that of
the yellow birch, though not pure, would never be mistaken for anything
but yellow; and the bark of the red birch, though nearly white, is so
thoroughly stained with red as to demonstrate the propriety of its name.
The Black Birch is also named the Cherry Birch, from the resemblance of
the tree to the American black cherry. Its inner bark has the flavor of
checkerberry, and its wood some of the colors of mahogany; and it has
received names corresponding with these characters, such as Sweet Birch
and Mahogany Birch, and was formerly a favorite material for cabinet
furniture. The bark of this species and of the yellow birch has very
little of that leathery or papyraceous quality which is so remarkable in
that of the white birches. This species does not extend so far north as
the others, but has a wider geographical range in and below the latitude
of New England.
The Black Birch puts forth its flowers very early in the year, of a deep
yellow and purple and sensibly fragrant. The foliage also appears early.
The leaves are finely serrate, oval, with conspicuous veins, turning
yellow in the autumn. Not one of the birches ever shows a tint
approaching to red or purple in its foliage. The Black Birch delights in
moist grounds, and commonly occupies a stand on mountain slopes and on
the banks of rivers. When growing singly on a plain, or in an open
space, it takes a hemispherical shape, with its terminal and lower
branches drooping to some extent like those of the elm. This tree is
conspicuous on craggy precipices, among the mountains, where it extends
its roots into the crevices of the rocks, and spreads its branches over
chasms and hollows. On these sites it displays a variety of picturesque
forms, corresponding with the rudeness and the wildness of the scenery
around it. Nature has furnished this tree with a chaffy or winged seed,
which is soon wafted and sown by the winds upon mountain-sides and among
inaccessible rocks, where the soil collected in thin fissures supplies
it with sustenance.