Betula murrayana

Betula murrayana commonly known as Murray birch, is a critically endangered species of small birch that is endemic to Washtenaw County, Michigan in the United States and St. Williams, Norfolk County, Ontario, in Canada.[3][4][5][6]

Betula murrayana

Critically Imperiled  (NatureServe)[2]
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fagales
Family: Betulaceae
Genus: Betula
Species:
B. murrayana
Binomial name
Betula murrayana
B. V. Barnes & Dancik

Description

Its leaves are 5–11 centimeters × 3–6 centimeters.[7]

Taxonomy

It is a evolutionarily recent species that arose through hybridization between Betula alleghaniensis and another hybrid, Betula x purpusii (a hybrid of B. alleghaniensis and Betula pumila).[1]

Taxonomy

It was named by Burton V. Barnes and Bruce P. Dancik, in Canadian Journal of Botany 63(2):223-226, in 2011.[8]

Conservation

Only two sites are known, which are 320 km (200 miles apart); suggesting no gene flow. The Ontario population's size is unknown (but assumed to be less than 10 individuals), while the Michigan population has only one surviving individual. However, it is highly likely that future populations will be found along the Great Lakes or St. Lawrence Valley, as there are many areas where the parent species overlap, and the species is a natural hybrid.[1]

The Holden Arboretum, the University of Michigan, and Matthaei Botanical Gardens all have propagated seedlings from cuts of the Michigan individual, which could be sued to conserve this species if it is faced with extinction.[1][2]

References
  1. Stritch, L. 2014. Betula murrayana. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014: e.T51208029A51208054. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T51208029A51208054.en. Accessed on 29 April 2023.
  2. "Betula murrayana. NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  3. "Betula murrayana (Murray birch) - Michigan Natural Features Inventory". mnfi.anr.msu.edu. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
  4. "Murray's Birch - Betula murrayana". The Trees of North America: Across the Continent With a Camera. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
  5. "Murray's Birch (Betula murrayana)". iNaturalist.ca. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
  6. Booth, William (1989-07-17). "6 PLANT SPECIES 'RAREST' IN WILD". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
  7. "Betula murrayana - FNA". floranorthamerica.org. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
  8. Barnes, Burton; Dancik, Bruce (2011-01-31). "Characteristics and origin of a new birch species, Betula murrayana, from southeastern Michigan". Canadian Journal of Botany. 63: 223–226. doi:10.1139/b85-025.
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