13 Birch
<p><b style=" color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Birch</b><span style=" color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>is a thinleaved<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deciduous" title="Deciduous" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255);">deciduous</a><span style=" color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardwood" title="Hardwood" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255);">hardwood</a><span style=" color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree" title="Tree" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255);">tree</a> <span style=" color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">of the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genus" title="Genus" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255);">genus</a><span style=" color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><i style=" color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>Betula</b></i><span style=" color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>(</span><span class="nowrap" style=" white-space: nowrap; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="IPA nopopups"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English" title="Help:IPA for English" style=" text-decoration: none !important; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">/<span style=" border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: dotted;"><span title="/ˈ/ primary stress follows">ˈ</span><span title="'b' in 'buy'">b</span><span title="/ɛ/ short 'e' in 'bed'">ɛ</span><span title="/tj/ 't' in 'tune'">tj</span><span title="/ʊ/ short 'oo' in 'foot'">ʊ</span><span title="'l' in 'lie'">l</span><span title="/ə/ 'a' in 'about'">ə</span></span>/</a></span></span><span style=" color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">),</span><sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference" style=" line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap; font-size: 11.2px; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birch#cite_note-2" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[2]</a></sup><span style=" color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>in the family </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betulaceae" title="Betulaceae" style=" text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255);">Betulaceae</a><span style=" color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, which also includes<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alder" title="Alder" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255);">alders</a><span style=" color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazel" title="Hazel" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255);">hazels</a><span style=" color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, and<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hornbeams" class="mw-redirect" title="Hornbeams" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255);">hornbeams</a><span style=" color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">,</span>
<span style=" color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span>
<span style=" color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> and is closely related to the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beech" title="Beech" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255);">beech</a><span style=" color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">/</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oak" title="Oak" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255);">oak</a><span style=" color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>family,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fagaceae" title="Fagaceae" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255);">Fagaceae</a><span style=" color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">. </span>
<span style=" color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span>
<span style=" color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The genus<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><i style=" color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Betula </i><span style=" color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">contains 30 to 60<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxonomy_of_Betula" class="mw-redirect" title="Taxonomy of Betula" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255);">known taxa</a><span style=" color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>of which 11 are on the IUCN 2011 Green List of Threatened Species. They are a typically rather short-lived </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneer_species" title="Pioneer species" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255);">pioneer species</a><span style=" color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>widespread in the Northern Hemisphere, particularly in northern<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temperate_climate" title="Temperate climate" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255);">temperate</a> <span style=" color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">and<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boreal_climate" class="mw-redirect" title="Boreal climate" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255);">boreal climates</a><span style=" color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference" style=" line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap; font-size: 11.2px; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birch#cite_note-3" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[3]</a></sup>
<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference" style=" line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap; font-size: 11.2px; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </sup></p>
<h3 style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: bold; margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom-style: none; font-size: 1.2em; line-height: 1.6; font-family: sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="mw-headline" id="Etymology">Etymology</span><span class="mw-editsection" style=" -webkit-user-select: none; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate; font-family: sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style=" margin-right: 0.25em; color: rgb(85, 85, 85);">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Birch&action=edit§ion=5" title="Edit section: Etymology" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style=" margin-left: 0.25em; color: rgb(85, 85, 85);">]</span></span></h3>
<p style=" margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.4px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The common name<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>birch</i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>comes from<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_English" title="Old English" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Old English</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>birce</i>,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>bierce</i>, from<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proto-Germanic" class="mw-redirect" title="Proto-Germanic" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Proto-Germanic</a>*<i>berk-jōn</i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>(cf.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_language" title="German language" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">German</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Birke</i>,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Frisian_language" title="West Frisian language" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">West Frisian</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>bjirk</i>), an adjectival formation from *<i>berkōn</i>(cf.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_language" title="Dutch language" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Dutch</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>berk</i>,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low_German" title="Low German" style=" text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Low German</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Bark</i>,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danish_language" title="Danish language" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Danish</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>birk</i>,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_language" title="Norwegian language" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Norwegian</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>bjørk</i>), itself from the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proto-Indo-European_language" title="Proto-Indo-European language" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Proto-Indo-European</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>root *<i>bʰerHǵ-</i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>bʰrHǵ</i>-, which also gave<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuanian_language" title="Lithuanian language" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Lithuanian</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>béržas</i>,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latvian_language" title="Latvian language" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Latvian</a><i>Bērzs</i>,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_language" title="Russian language" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Russian</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>beréza</i>,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainian_language" title="Ukrainian language" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Ukrainian</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>beréza</i>,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albanian_language" title="Albanian language" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Albanian</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>bredh</i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>‘fir’,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ossetic_language" class="mw-redirect" title="Ossetic language" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Ossetian</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>bærz(æ)</i>,<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanskrit_language" class="mw-redirect" title="Sanskrit language" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Sanskrit</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>bhurja</i>,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_language" title="Polish language" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Polish</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>brzoza</i>,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_language" class="mw-redirect" title="Latin language" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Latin</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>fraxinus</i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>‘ash (tree)’. This root is presumably derived from *<i>bʰreh₁ǵ-</i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>‘to shine’, in reference to the birch's white bark. The<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proto-Germanic" class="mw-redirect" title="Proto-Germanic" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Proto-Germanic</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rune" class="mw-redirect" title="Rune" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">rune</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berkanan" title="Berkanan" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">berkanan</a></i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>is named after the birch.
The generic name<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>betula</i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>is from<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin" title="Latin" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Latin</a>, which is a<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diminutive" title="Diminutive" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">diminutive</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>borrowed from<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaulish_language" title="Gaulish language" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Gaulish</a><i>betua</i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>(cf.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Irish" title="Old Irish" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Old Irish</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>bethe</i>,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsh_language" title="Welsh language" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Welsh</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>bedw</i>).</p>