A
species
of
tree
in
the
family
Betulaceae
(
ord
.
Fagales
,
clade
Rosids
,
kingdom
Plantae
).
The
silver
birch
typically
reaches
15
to
25
m
tall
(
exceptionally
up
to
31
m
)
with
a
slender
trunk
usually
under
40
cm
diameter
.
The
bark
on
the
trunk
and
branches
is
golden
-
brown
at
first
,
but
later
this
turns
to
white
as
a
result
of
papery
tissue
developing
on
the
surface
and
peeling
off
in
flakes
,
in
a
similar
manner
to
the
closely
related
paper
birch
(
B
.
papyrifera
).
The
bark
remains
smooth
until
the
tree
gets
quite
large
,
but
in
older
trees
,
the
bark
thickens
,
becoming
irregular
,
dark
,
and
rugged
.
The
leaves
have
short
,
slender
stalks
and
are
3
to
7
cm
long
,
triangular
with
broad
,
untoothed
,
wedge
-
shaped
bases
,
slender
pointed
tips
,
and
coarsely
double
-
toothed
,
serrated
margins
.