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Betulaceae (view source)

Revision as of 04:23, 5 May 2009

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{{Taxobox
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__NOTOC__{{Plantbox
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| color = lightgreen
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| name = ''Betulaceae''
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| name = Betulaceae
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| common_names =     <!--- if multiple, list all, if none, leave blank -->
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| color = IndianRed
 
| image = Alnus glutinosa.jpg
 
| image = Alnus glutinosa.jpg
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| image_width = 250px
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| image_width = 240px    <!--- leave as 240px if horizontal orientation photo, or change to 180px if vertical -->
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| image_caption = [[Black Alder]] (''Alnus glutinosa'')
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| image_caption = Black Alder (''Alnus glutinosa'')
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| regnum = [[Plantae]]
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| regnum = Plantae
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| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
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| divisio = Magnoliophyta
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| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]
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| classis = Magnoliopsida
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| ordo = [[Fagales]]
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| ordo = Fagales
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| familia = '''Betulaceae'''
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| familia = Betulaceae
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| familia_authority = [[John Edward Gray|Gray]]
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| subdivision_ranks = Genera
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| subdivision =
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''[[Alder|Alnus]]'' - Alder<br/>
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''[[Birch|Betula]]'' - Birch<br/>
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''[[Hornbeam|Carpinus]]'' - Hornbeam<br/>
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''[[Hazel|Corylus]]'' - Hazel<br/>
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''[[Ostrya]]'' - Hop-hornbeam<br/>
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''[[Ostryopsis]]'' - Hazel-hornbeam
   
}}
 
}}
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{{Inc|
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Betulaceae (from the genus Betula, the ancient Latin name of the birch). Birch Family. Fig. 15. Trees or shrubs: leaves alternate, simple, mostly pinnately parallel-veined: flowers monoecious, regular, much reduced; the staminate in slender catkins; the pistillate in short spikes, rarely in flexuous catkins or geminate; 3 flowers, rarely by reduction 2 or 1 flower behind each bract; perianth of the staminate flower single, 2-4-lobed or 0; stamens 2-10: perianth of the pistillate flower absent in Betula and Alnus, in other genera an epigynous crown of several tiny scales; ovary inferior, originally 2-celled and each cell 1-ovuled, but only one cell and 1 seed maturing; stigmas 2: fruit an indehiscent nutlet, often winged; either separating from the bract and bracteoles (Alnus, Betula), or falling with them, in which case these organs form a protective involucre (Corylus), or a winged or bladdery organ concerned in seed-dissemination (Carpinus, Ostrya); seeds anatropous, exalbuminous.
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'''Betulaceae''', or the '''Birch Family''', includes six genera of [[deciduous]] [[nut (fruit)|nut]]-bearing [[tree]]s and [[shrub]]s, including the [[birch]]es, [[alder]]s, [[hazel]]s, [[hornbeam]]s and [[hop-hornbeam]]s, numbering about 130 species. They are mostly natives of the temperate [[Northern Hemisphere]], with a few species reaching the [[Southern Hemisphere]] in the [[Andes]] in [[South America]].
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Six genera and about 75 species inhabit the extra-tropical northern hemisphere; many are arctic, some of which are creeping. Fossil species are known. The family is related to the Fagaceae and other amentiferous families. The pistillate flowers in spikes, the presence of a perianth in one or the other sex, the cymose group of flowers for each bract, the 2 carpels, and the single integument of the seed are characteristic.
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In the past, the family was often divided into two families, Betulaceae (''Alnus, Betula'') and Corylaceae (the rest); however, recent treatments, including the [[Angiosperm Phylogeny Group]], have renamed these two groups as subfamilies within the Betulaceae- [[Betuloideae]] and [[Coryloideae]].
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The wood of Alnus and Betula is prized by wagon-makers, cabinet-makers and turners; charcoal for gunpowder is made from this wood. The twigs of Betula are made into brooms. The bark of Betula papyrifera strips off in thin plates and is used for making canoes and for writing-paper. The very thin bark-layers of B. Bhojpattra of India also furnish writing-paper. Vinegar and beer are made from the sugary sap of Betula, which is also considered an efficient antiscorbutic. The bark of Alnus and Betula is used in tanning Russia leather, and other kinds. Hazelnuts are the fruit of Corylus; filberts of Corylus Avellana. Oil of betula has a flavor like wintergreen. The wood of Ostrya is very hard and prized for beetles. The wood of all the Betulaceae is good for firewood.
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The closest relatives of the Betulaceae are believed to be the [[Casuarinaceae]], or the She-Oaks.
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==Evolutionary History==
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Several genera are in cultivation in America for ornament or for the fruit (Corylus) such as: Alnus (Alder); Betula (Birch); Carpinus (Hornbeam Tree, Blue Beech, Water Beech); Corylus (Hazel, Filbert, Cobnut); and Ostrya (Hop Hornbeam, Ironwood, Leverwood).{{SCH}}
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The Betulaceae are believed to have originated at the end of the [[Cretaceous]] period (c. 70 million years ago) in [[Sichuan Province| central China]]. This region at the time would have had a [[Mediterranean]] type climate due to the proximity of the [[Tethys Sea]], which covered parts of present-day [[Tibet]] and [[Xinjiang]] into the early [[Tertiary]] period. This point of origin is supported by the fact that all six genera and 52 species are native to this region, many of those being [[endemism|endemic]]. It is believed that all six modern genera had diverged fully by the [[Oligocene]], with all genera in the family (with the exception of [[Ostryopsis]]) having a [[fossil record]] stretching back at least 20 million years from the present.
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}}
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==Uses==
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==Genera==
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[[Image:Corylus avellana.jpg|left|thumb|''Corylus avellana'' foliage and nuts]]
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*''[[Alder|Alnus]]'' - Alder
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The [[Common Hazel]] ''Corylus avellana'' and the [[Filbert]] ''Corylus maxima'' are important [[orchard]] plants, grown for their edible [[nut (fruit)|nuts]].
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*''[[Birch|Betula]]'' - Birch
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*''[[Hornbeam|Carpinus]]'' - Hornbeam
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*''[[Hazel|Corylus]]'' - Hazel
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*''[[Ostrya]]'' - Hop-hornbeam
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*''[[Ostryopsis]]'' - Hazel-hornbeam
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The other genera include a number of popular [[ornamental plant|ornamental trees]], widely planted in parks and large gardens; several of the birches are particularly valued for their smooth, brightly coloured [[bark]].
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==Gallery==
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{{photo-sources}}<!-- remove this line if there are already 3 or more photos in the gallery  -->
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The [[wood]] is generally hard, tough and heavy, hornbeams particularly so; several species were of significant importance in the past where very hard wood capable of withstanding heavy wear was required, such as for [[cartwheel]]s, [[water wheel]]s, [[gear|cog wheels]], [[tool]] handles, chopping boards and wooden pegs. In most of these uses wood has now been replaces by [[metal]] or other man-made materials.
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<gallery>
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Image:Corylus avellana.jpg|''Corylus avellana'' foliage and nuts
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Image:Upload.png| photo 2
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Image:Upload.png| photo 3
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</gallery>
    
==References==
 
==References==
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*Chen, Z.D., Manchester, S.R., & Sun, H.Y., 1999. ''Phylogeny and evolution of the Betulaceae as inferred from DNA sequences, morphology, and palaeobotany''. American Journal of Botany, 86: 1168-1181.
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*[[Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture]], by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
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==External links==
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*{{wplink}}
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[[Category:Fagales]]
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{{stub}}
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[[Category:Betulaceae| ]]
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[[Category:Categorize]]
 
[[Category:Plant families]]
 
[[Category:Plant families]]
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