# Betula nana > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Betula_nana > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Betula_nana.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betula_nana > Source revision: 1313820841 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Species of flowering plant Dwarf birch Conservation status Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1] Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae Clade: Embryophytes Clade: Tracheophytes Clade: Spermatophytes Clade: Angiosperms Clade: Eudicots Clade: Rosids Order: Fagales Family: Betulaceae Genus: Betula Subgenus: Betula subg. Chamaebetula Species: B. nana Binomial name Betula nana L. ***Betula nana***, the **dwarf birch**,[2] is a species of [birch](/source/Birch) in the family [Betulaceae](/source/Betulaceae), found mainly in the [tundra](/source/Tundra) of the [Arctic region](/source/Arctic_region). Specimen at 1000m ## Description It is a [monoecious](/source/Monoecious), [deciduous](/source/Deciduous) shrub growing up to 1–1.2 metres (3 ft 3 in – 3 ft 11 in) high. The bark is non-peeling and shiny red-copper colored.[3] The [leaves](/source/Leaf) are rounded, 6–20 millimetres (0.24–0.79 in) diameter, with a bluntly toothed margin. The leaves are a darker green on their upper surface. Leaf growth occurs after snow melt and become red in autumn. The wind-pollinated fruiting [catkins](/source/Catkin) are erect, 5–15 millimetres (0.20–0.59 in) long and 4–10 millimetres (0.16–0.39 in) broad. ## Distribution *Betula nana* is native to arctic and cool [temperate](/source/Temperate) regions of [Greenland](/source/Greenland), [Iceland](/source/Iceland), northern [Europe](/source/Europe), northern [Asia](/source/Asia) and northern [North America](/source/North_America) and it will grow in a variety of conditions. Outside of far northern areas, it is usually found growing only in [mountains](/source/Mountain) above 300 metres (980 ft), up to 835 metres (2,740 ft) in [Great Britain](/source/Great_Britain) and 2,200 metres (7,200 ft) in the [Alps](/source/Alps). Its northern range limit is on [Svalbard](/source/Svalbard), where it is confined to favourable sites. In the UK *Betula nana* is at its southern range limit, with many populations having declined significantly in recent decades.[4] In southern Sweden the occurrence of *Betula nana* in [Sund](/source/Sund%2C_Ydre), [Ydre](/source/Ydre) is deemed a [glacial relict](/source/Glacial_relict).[5] It generally favours wet, but well-drained sites, with a nutrient-poor, acidic soil that can be xeric and rocky. *B. nana* has a low tolerance for shade. ## Ecology There are two [subspecies](/source/Subspecies): - *Betula nana* subsp. *nana*. [Canada](/source/Canada) ([Baffin Island](/source/Baffin_Island)), Greenland, northern Europe (south to the Alps at high altitudes), northwestern Asia. Young twigs hairy, but without resin; leaves longer (to 20 mm), usually as long as broad. - *Betula nana* subsp. *exilis*. Northeastern Asia, northern North America ([Alaska](/source/Alaska), Canada east to [Nunavut](/source/Nunavut)). Young twigs hairless or with only scattered hairs, but coated in resin; leaves shorter (not over 12 mm long), often broader than long. ## Genome The genome of *B. nana* has been sequenced.[6] ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-iucn_status_19_November_2021_1-0)** Stritch, L. (2014). ["*Betula nana*"](https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/194495/2341542). *[IUCN Red List of Threatened Species](/source/IUCN_Red_List)*. **2014** e.T194495A2341542. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T194495A2341542.en](https://doi.org/10.2305%2FIUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T194495A2341542.en). Retrieved 19 November 2021. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Kelvin S.-H. Peh; Richard T. Corlett; Yves Bergeron, eds. (2015). [*Routledge Handbook of Forest Ecology*](https://books.google.com/books?id=lOa9CgAAQBAJ&pg=PA12). [Routledge](/source/Routledge). p. 12. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-415-73545-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-415-73545-2). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Ewing, Susan. *The Great Alaska Nature Factbook*. Portland: Alaska Northwest Books, 1996. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Borrell, James S.; Wang, Nian; Nichols, Richard A.; Buggs, Richard J. A. (15 August 2018). ["Genetic diversity maintained among fragmented populations of a tree undergoing range contraction"](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6134035). *Heredity*. **121** (4): 304–318. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1038/s41437-018-0132-8](https://doi.org/10.1038%2Fs41437-018-0132-8). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0018-067X](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0018-067X). [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [888447574](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/888447574). [PMC](/source/PMC_(identifier)) [6134035](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6134035). [PMID](/source/PMID_(identifier)) [30111882](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30111882). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-Hellgren1960_5-0)** Hellgren, George (1960). "Något om växtligheten i Ydre". In Filén, Thure (ed.). *Ydre-Boken* (in Swedish). Linköping. pp. 86–91.{{[cite book](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_book)}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_location_missing_publisher)) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Wang N.; Thomson M.; Bodles W.J.A.; Crawford R.M.M.; Hunt H.V.; Featherstone A.W.; Pellicer J.; Buggs R.J.A. (2013). "Genome sequence of dwarf birch (Betula nana) and cross-species RAD markers". *Mol. Ecol*. **22** (11): 3098–3111. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1111/mec.12131](https://doi.org/10.1111%2Fmec.12131). [PMID](/source/PMID_(identifier)) [23167599](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23167599). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [206179485](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:206179485). ## External links [Wikispecies](/source/Wikispecies) has information related to ***[Betula nana](https://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Betula_nana)***. Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Betula nana](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Betula_nana). - Trees for Life: [Species profile](https://web.archive.org/web/20051215203906/http://www.treesforlife.org.uk/tfl.dwarf_birch.html) and [Reference list](https://web.archive.org/web/20050829024350/http://www.treesforlife.org.uk/tfl.dwarf_birch_ref.html) - [Flora of North America: *Betula nana*](http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=233500254) - [*Betula nana* Distribution map](http://linnaeus.nrm.se/flora/di/betula/betul/betunanv.jpg) - [Conservation Genetics and Population History of Betula nana etc., in Svalbard](https://web.archive.org/web/20051124171141/http://instaar.colorado.edu/AAAR/volume34/34-4abs.html#cgp) - [Dwarf birch genome website](https://web.archive.org/web/20180828211003/http://www.birchgenome.org/) - [Literature arising from the Expedition » Betula nana](https://web.archive.org/web/20131111191459/http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/ibers/studying/current/linnaeus/literature/betula-nana/) Betula nana photographed north of the village of [Upernavik Kujalleq](/source/Upernavik_Kujalleq), north-east of the mountain Kingigtoq, western Greenland Taxon identifiers Betula nana Wikidata: Q157628 Wikispecies: Betula nana BioLib: 3438 CoL: LPBR EoL: 1149387 EPPO: BETNA FEIS: betnan FNA: 233500254 GBIF: 5332004 GRIN: 7117 iNaturalist: 159228 IPNI: 301322-2 IRMNG: 10419224 ITIS: 19479 IUCN: 194495 NatureServe: 2.135221 NBN: NBNSYS0000003832 NCBI: 216990 Observation.org: 135252 Open Tree of Life: 567481 Panarctic Flora: 610212 Plant List: kew-21505 PLANTS: BENA POWO: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:301322-2 RHS: 2255 Tropicos: 3600013 VASCAN: 3693 WFO: wfo-0000334679 Authority control databases: National Czech Republic --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Betula nana](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betula_nana) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betula_nana?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.