betula

[In Ital. betulla; from Lat. betula, sometimes betulla; from Celt. betu; Gael. be i the = the birch.] 534 Bot.: A genus of plants, the typical one of the order Betulaceæ (Birch worts). There are two British species, the Betula alba , or Common Birch [BIRCH); and the B. nana , or Dwarf Birch. There are, besides, a number of foreign species. [BIRCH.] bět-u-lā-çe ( Bartling , Lindley), bět-uli'-ně-aa (L. C. Richard ), s. pl . [BETULA.] Bot. An order of plants ranked by Lindley under his Amental alliance, and called by him in English Birch worts. They have monæceo us flowers, with amentaceous inflorescence; calyx of small scales; corolla, none. There is no cupule in the female. The ovary is superior and two-celled, with a solitary pendulous ovule in each. The leaves are alternate, simple, with the primary veins often running straight from the midrib to the margin. The stipules are deciduous. There are but two genera, Betula (Birch) and Alnus (Alder), both containing trees or shrubs belonging to temperate climates. Known species, sixty-five.