Sweet Birch, also called black or cherry birch, has dark, non-peeling bark that smells strongly of wintergreen due to methyl salicylate in the tissues. It grows on rocky slopes and upland forests of the Appalachians and New England. It was historically the primary source of natural wintergreen oil before synthetic production took over.
Habitat
Rocky upland forests and slopes in the Appalachians and New England
Diet
Seeds eaten by finches and small mammals; buds browsed by grouse
How common
Common
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