Page:Floras Lexicon-1840.djvu/55



IRCH. . Class 21,. Order:. There is an elegance in the general appearance of the birch which fully justifies the poet’s fancy, and entitles it to the appellation he has given it, of “Lady of the Woods.” In every season, and under all circumstances, it is a lovely object; nothing can exceed the tender hue of its vernal leaves, as they wave to and fro in the sunshine. In summer, perhaps, it loses something of its beauty, as its bright tints then subside into a more sober green; still it preserves its gracefulness of aspect. In autumn it almost more than regains what it lost in summer; whilst winter, which deprives most other vegetable productions of their charms, by displaying more fully the slight silvery stem and delicate ramifications of the birch, seems but to invest it with new attractions.