Betula pubescens Downy Birch

Betula pubescens, Downy Birch, is a small tree which is common in Britain and widespread in West Glamorgan where it is represented almost entirely as Betula pubescens subsp. pubescens. It is generally more upright than Silver Birch (Betula pendula) and doesn't have the strongly drooping branches seen with that species. The young twigs are usually hairy and are not warty. It is an important component of the Sessile-oak woodlands that occur on the county's steep-sided valleys and is abundant in early successional scrub. It is also a significant pioneer species that rapidly colonises unplanted clear-felled areas in conifer plantations and on coal tips.

Native