New Hampshire State Tree

Betulaceae Betula papyrifera

Leaf

Alternate, simple, pinnately veined, ovate in shape, with coarsely doubly
serrate margins, an acute tip and a rounded base.

Flower

Preformed aments, male near the end of the twig in 2’s or 3’s, 3/4 to 1 1/4 inches long. Female flowers are upright, 1 to 1 1/4 inches long. Flowers April to June.

Fruit

Cone-like, cylindrical 1 to 1 1/2 inches long, deciduous at maturity, releasing elliptical 2-winged nutlets. Matures in the autumn disperses over winter.

Twig

Slender, dull red-brown, lacking wintergreen smell when cut. Terminal bud is absent, lateral buds are gummy, chestnut brown in color. Spur shoots present
on older growth.

Bark

Smooth, thin, chalky-to-creamy white; peeling in horizontal papery strips. Brown to black and furrowed at the base. Orange inner bark.

Form

A medium-sized tree with a pyramidal or irregular crown.