Male and female catkins dalecarlica 2018

The Ornäs birch, (

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

''Ornäsbjörk'',

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

''Betula pendula'' 'Dalecarlica') is a variety of

silver birch ''Betula pendula'', commonly known as silver birch, warty birch, European white birch, or East Asian white birch, is a species of tree in the family Betulaceae, native to Europe and parts of Asia, though in southern Europe, it is only found ...

with deeply indented leaves. It is the

national tree This is a list of national trees, most official, but some unofficial. National trees See also * National emblem * Floral emblem * List of U.S. State and territory trees References {{DEFAULTSORT:List Of National Trees N Trees In ...

of Sweden.

History

The original Ornäs birch was discovered in 1767 by Hans Gustaf Hiordt in the village of

Ornäs Ornäs is a locality situated in Borlänge Municipality, Dalarna County, Sweden with 1,068 inhabitants in 2010. History In November of 1520, Gustav Vasa was hiding in the Ornässtugan when he was chased by the Danish military. Ornäs has a popul ...

, in the central Swedish province of

Dalarna Dalarna () is a '' landskap'' (historical province) in central Sweden. English exonyms for it are Dalecarlia () and the Dales. Dalarna adjoins Härjedalen, Hälsingland, Gästrikland, Västmanland and Värmland. It is also bordered by Norwa ...

. Hiordt sent a description of the tree to the

University of Uppsala Uppsala University ( sv, Uppsala universitet) is a public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. The university rose to significance during ...

botanist

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his Nobility#Ennoblement, ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalise ...

. Cuttings were taken from the original tree, from which all Ornäs birch trees have been propagated. The tree fell in a storm on 26 May 1890. Two new trees were planted in its place, taken from cuttings of the original tree. At a later time a third one was added. The location of the trees is In 1985, the Ornäs birch was named as the national tree of Sweden,Gronarader.se. ''Äkta ornäsbjörk är E-märkt.''
/ref> and examples have been planted in central locations in many Swedish towns. In that same year, the first eight ''Betula pendula'' 'Dalecarlica' were imported to Pretoria, South Africa, from a nursery in Germany, by an avid tree lover, Karl Ernst Haese.

Description

Ornäs birch trees grow to a height of , and have a rounded, somewhat uneven crown. The main branches have an acute angle to the trunk, and only the outermost branches are hanging. The Ornäs birch is often confused with the similar birches ''Betula pendula'' 'Crispa' and ''Betula pendula'' 'Laciniata', and all three varieties are sometimes sold commercially as "Swedish birch". The genuine Ornäs birch can be distinguished by its growth-form, and in that its leaves are more deeply indented than the other varieties. Male and female flowers are present, and the Ornäs birch can be propagated from seed, cuttings, or grafting onto normal Betula pendula rootstock.

References

eplanta.com
(Swedish)
ornasbjorken.se
(Swedish)
gronarader.se
(Swedish) {{DEFAULTSORT:Ornas birch Betula National symbols of Sweden Ornamental plant cultivars