River Birch
Betula nigra L.
Also known as Red Birch or Water Birch.
Mature Size: 70 to 80 feet in height and 1 to 3 feet in diameter.
Form: Trunk often divided low into several trunks; crown irregular, divided where the arching limbs spread from the main trunk.
Habitat: Deep, rich soils on stream banks, pond and swamp edges.
Leaves
Alternate, simple, 1½ to 3 inches long; roughly oval or triangular, with a wedge-shaped base and doubly toothed edges; dark green above and pale green below.
Flowers
Males in persistent 2 to 3 inch reddish-green catkins; females in upright ¼ to ½ inch light green catkins, appearing in spring.
Fruit
Cone-like, 1 to 1½ inches long, with many hairy scales, reddish brown, containing many tiny, 3-winged seeds.
Bark
Reddish brown to cinnamon-red, peeling back in tough papery layers to reveal multiple colors, giving the trunk a ragged and distinctive appearance. On older trees, the bark on the main trunk becomes thick, deeply furrowed and reddish-brown.
Twigs
Slender, orange-brown, smooth or slightly fuzzy.
Values and Uses
The wood is quite hard and close-grained. Seldom harvested, it has been used in the manufacturing of inexpensive furniture, toys, basket hoops and turned articles. River birch is commonly planted for stream bank restoration and other erosion control situations. It is also an attractive ornamental tree.
Did You Know?
This is the only birch native to the Coastal Plain in the southeastern United States.
