Tree · Betulaceae Draft — unreviewed
River birch
Betula nigra L.
Also called river birch.
Fast multi-stem birch with peeling cinnamon and cream bark. The most heat-tolerant birch and highly resistant to bronze birch borer.
Size over time
Typical landscape size 12–18 m (39–59 ft) tall and 9–12 m (30–39 ft) wide; fast growth, about 15 years to maturity. Intermediate sizes use the planner’s growth curve (k = 0.45) from the BB-2in install size.
Design notes
- Usually sold as a three-stem clump; leave room for the spreading base.
- Drops twigs and yellow leaves in summer drought; irrigate or site where soil stays moist.
- Chlorotic in alkaline soil.
Regions
Native range: Eastern U.S. along rivers and floodplains.
Native to these OpenLandscape3D pilot regions:
Native status describes where the species occurs naturally. It is not a promise that it suits a particular garden; site conditions decide that.
Related plants
Red maple
Acer rubrum · Tree · 12–18 m (39–59 ft)
Sugar maple
Acer saccharum · Tree · 15–22 m (49–72 ft)
Downy serviceberry
Amelanchier arborea · Tree · 5–8 m (16–26 ft)
American hornbeam
Carpinus caroliniana · Tree · 6–9 m (20–30 ft)
Eastern redbud
Cercis canadensis · Tree · 6–9 m (20–30 ft)
White fringetree
Chionanthus virginicus · Tree · 4–6 m (13–20 ft)
Plan with River birch
Place it in a design, check it against your zone, light and moisture, and see it at year three and year ten.