Trees

Bark	Leaf
Male Flowers	Female Flowers

Fruit

Height: <25 m, Age: <100 yr
Ectomycorrhizal
Persistent Seed Bank
Monoecious, Flowering April - May (Earliest: 11.4)

Protective Chemicals
Sesquiterpenoids	Birkenal, Caryophyllene, Hushinone
Triterpenoids	Betulinic Acid, Betulin
Flavonoids	Catechin, Procyanidin
Other Phenolics	Betuloside, Epirhododendrin, Platyphylloside, Salidroside, Tannins

Biotopes:	Peat Bogs and Mires	Wet Forest
Pollination:	Wind
Seed Dispersal:	Wind
Mycorrhizae:	Thelephora terrestris	Cantharellus cibarius	Many Boletaceae	Paxillus involutus
	Many Russulaceae	Several Amanitaceae	Many Cortinariaceae	Several Entolomataceae
	Many Hymenogastraceae	Many Inocybaceae	Many Tricholomataceae	Laccaria laccata
	Hygrophorus hedrychii
Parasites:	Taphrina betulae	Taphrina betulina	Erysiphe ornata	Inonotus obliquus
	Phellinus igniarius	Several Polyporaceae	Fomitopsis pinicola	Chondrostereum purpureum
	Armillaria ostoyae	Leucoptera malifoliella	Lyonetia clerkella	Epinotia tetraquetrana Larva (Stem Borer)
	Gypsonoma dealbana	Eriocrania semipurpurella	Heringocrania unimaculella Larva (Leaf Miner)	Parornix betulae
	Phyllonorycter ulmifoliella	Incurvaria pectinea	Phylloporia bistrigella Larva	Coleophora serratella
	Lampronia fuscatella Larva (Twig Gall)	Ectoedemia occultella	Scolioneura betuleti	Anisostephus betulinus
	Agromyza alnibetulae	Several Curculionidae Larvae (Leaf Miners)	Byctiscus betulae Larva	Deporaus betulae
	Trachys minutus	Acalitus longisetosus
Possible Parasites:	Coleophora currucipennella Larva	Coleophora potentillae	Bucculatrix thoracella	Caloptilia stigmatella Larva
	Saperda populnea Larva (Branch Gall)
Herbivores:	Capreolus capreolus	Nymphalis polychloros Larva	Polygonia c-album Larva	Several Drepanidae
	Many Geometridae	Many Noctuidae	Many Tortricidae	Calliteara pudibunda
	Saturnia pavonia	Endromis versicolora Larva	Odontosia carmelita Larva	Pheosia gnoma Larva
	Nola confusalis	Pseudoips prasinana	Anacampsis blattariella Larva	Ypsolopha parenthesella Larva
	Semioscopi avellanella Larva	Mimas tiliae Larva	Many Tenthredinidae	Arge ustulata Larva
	Trichiosoma lucorum	Several Chrysomelidae	Several Curculionidae	Phyllopertha horticola
Possible Herbivores:	Several Erebidae	Many Geometridae	Many Noctuidae	Several Notodontidae
	Many Tortricidae	Aglia tau Larva	Diurnea fagella	Carpatolechia proximella Larva
	Cossus cossus	Malacosoma neustria	Caliroa cerasi	Several Chrysomelidae
	Many Curculionidae
Sapivores:	Acanthosomatidae	Several Aphididae	Several Cicadellidae	Several Miridae
	Cixius nervosus	Cixius simplex	Aphrophora alni Nymph	Psylla betulae
Possible Sapivores:	Several Miridae	Several Pentatomidae	Tachycixius pilosus	Aphrophora alni
	Edwardsiana frustrator	Cixius distinguendus
Xylophages:	Synanthedon spheciformis Larva (Wood Borer)	Several Cerambycidae Larvae	Agrilus angustulus Larva (Wood Borer)	Agrilus viridis Larva (Wood Borer)
	Otiorhynchus coecus Larva	Scolytus intricatus
Florivores:	Several Tortricidae	Argyresthia brockeella	Argyresthia goedartella Larva	Eupithecia satyrata
Possible Florivores:	Neolygus contaminatus
Granivores:	Cyanistes caeruleus	Carduelis flammea	Spinus spinus	Coccothraustes coccothraustes
	Cochylis nana Larva	Kleidocerys resedae	Orthotylus marginalis	Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale
Possible Granivores:	Several Miridae	Scolopostethus affinis	Scolopostethus decoratus
Bark Inhabitants:	Hypogymnia physodes	Parmelia sulcata	Cladonia coniocraea	Buellia griseovirens
	Pertusaria coccodes	Hypnum cupressiforme
Wood Decomposers:	Several Psathyrellaceae	Mycena rubromarginata	Mycena tintinnabulum	Armillaria ostoyae
	Simocybe sumptuosa	Megacollybia platyphylla	Mycenella margaritispora	Pleurotus pulmonarius
	Pluteus umbrosus	Pholiota tuberculosa	Crepidotus bresadolae	Chondrostereum purpureum
	Radulomyces confluens	Phellinus igniarius	Phellinus lundellii	Hyphodontia barba-jovis
	Dacrymyces lacrymalis	Several Polyporaceae	Fomitopsis betulina	Gloeoporus pannocinctus
	Bulgaria inquinans	Mollisia ramealis	Hypoxylon fuscum	Trichius fasciatus Larva
	Ampedus pomonae Larva	Magdalis carbonaria Larva	Platystomos albinus Larva	Schizotus pectinicornis Larva
	Criorhina berberina Larva	Eratophyes amasiella Larva	Angiosperm Generalists
Leaf Decomposers:	Myochromella boudieri	Psathyrella artemisiae	Calycellina leucella	Polyscytalum fecundissimum
	Fusidium griseum	Adela reaumurella Larva	Nemophora degeerella Larva	Angiosperm Generalists

Ecological Flora of the British Isles
Skye Flora: Downy Birch
Tommi Nyman: Insects on Birch

Pictures © 2003, 2005 J.K. Lindsey

Caution

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