On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the birch benders blueberry pancake mix across from the article title. Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. This section does not cite any sources. Birch species are generally small to medium-sized trees or shrubs, mostly of northern temperate and boreal climates.

The simple leaves are alternate, singly or doubly serrate, feather-veined, petiolate and stipulate. The bark of all birches is characteristically marked with long, horizontal lenticels, and often separates into thin, papery plates, especially upon the paper birch. The flowers are monoecious, opening with or before the leaves. Staminate catkins are pendulous, clustered, or solitary in the axils of the last leaves of the branch of the year or near the ends of the short lateral branchlets of the year. They form in early autumn and remain rigid during the winter. This section needs additional citations for verification.

Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Betula species are organised into five subgenera. Note: many American texts have B. Within Betulaceae, birches are most closely related to alder. Birches often form even-aged stands on light, well-drained, particularly acidic soils. They are regarded as pioneer species, rapidly colonizing open ground especially in secondary successional sequences following a disturbance or fire.

A large number of lepidopteran insects feed on birch foliage. Birch wood is fine-grained and pale in colour, often with an attractive satin-like sheen. Ripple figuring may occur, increasing the value of the timber for veneer and furniture-making. Birch plywood is made from laminations of birch veneer. It is light but strong, and has many other good properties. It is among the strongest and dimensionally most stable plywoods, although it is unsuitable for exterior use. Extracts of birch are used for flavoring or leather oil, and in cosmetics such as soap or shampoo.