looduskalender.ee

Some facts about both the silver birch and the downy birch: it is not easy to distinguish between them. You can find hybrids between them in nature, with characteristics from both species.

 

Roughly speaking the silver birch has hanging branches, the downy birch upright ones. The leaves of the silver birch are rhomboid-shaped, those of the downy birch more rounded. Silver birches grow on mineral soils, downy birches on peaty ground. In forests silver birches grow taller. Both species grow in reclaimed bog areas.