River Birch is a graceful, medium-sized (fifty to eightyt feet) deciduous tree with an irregular, open, spreading crown. It is the most heat tolerant of the birches and the only birch that grows in lower elevations in NC. Although it is often found in floodplains and river bottoms, and tolerates wet conditions, it is also adaptable to upland sites. In addition, then, to adding charm to naturalized areas such as streambanks, River Birch is used as an ornamental shade tree in suburban yards as well. It grows both single-stemmed and multi-stemmed. Its most distinctive ornamental feature is its bark, which is gray/brown in color, usually exfoliating in curly, papery sheets revealing a lighter inner bark beneath. Foliage is dark green, with doubly-toothed margins. Its foliage supports an array of butterfly and moth larvae and the seeds are eaten by birds such as Ruffed Grouse, Greater Prairie Chicken, Pine Siskin, White-Winged Crossbill, Purple Finch, and Black-Capped Chickadee. The canopy casts only light shade below which allows shade-loving perennials to thrive underneath. The River Birch is a medium- to fast-growing tree, is beautiful and generally trouble-free, and generous in its support of wildlife.
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Betula nigra
Key Info
Scientific Name: Betula nigra L.
Common Names: River Birch, Red Birch, Black Birch, Water Birch
Family Names: Betulaceae (Birch Family)
Plant Type: Tree / Shrub
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Flower Color: Yellowish/reddish male catkins; green female catkins
Special Characteristics: Long lived, Interesting bark, Attracts birds, Fast growing, Tolerates wet conditions
Additional Info
Habit: Often multi-trunked tree, with irregular, open crown
Height: 40-75'
Spread: 25-40'
Soil Conditions: full range of average upland to very wet, acidic to very acidic; tolerates clay
Leaves: Alternate, simple, ovate, ribbed, with double serrations on upper margin, 3"x2.5", medium to dark green and glabrous above, lighter and glaucus below, turning yellow in autumn.
Flowers (or reproductive structures: Monoecious (both male and female flowers on the same tree): drooping yellow/reddish staminate (male) catkins in twos and threes drooping on the tips of twigs, and smaller, upright, green pistillate (female) catkins on short spur twigs.
Fruit: female catkin develops into a non-woody cone-like structure with winged, ovate, flattened seeds ripenng in late spring to early summer, spreading by wind or water.
Natural Distribution: Bottomland deciduous woodlands, streambanks, drier areas of swamps
USDA Hardiness Zone: 4 to 9
USDA Wetland Indicator Status in NC: FACW
Pollination: Wind-pollinated
Wildlife Connections: White-tailed deer browse river birch, and a number of species of birds eat river birch seeds including Ruffed Grouse and Wild Turkey (Forest Service: fs.fed.us/database).
Propagation: Stratify for spring planting; light is required for germination. Cuttings also can be used.