River Birch Tree Facts
The river birch tree is a member of the birch family, a group with around 100 members found mostly in the Northern Hemisphere. The river birch, like all birches, has a seed "cone" that resembles the head of a cattail plant, except much smaller. These develop on the branches and fall apart eventually, scattering the seeds into the wind in the latter stages of spring.
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Habitat
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The river birch gets its name from thriving when close to a body of water, frequently a river or stream. It will sometimes even grow in river bottomlands that tend to flood during certain parts of the year. The river birch has also come into prominence as an ornamental tree, with many landowners choosing to plant it for such features as the way the breeze causes the leaves to ripple back and forth.
Geography
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This species of birch tree is the southernmost in the entire United States. The river birch has a range that extends as far south as southern Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi. It grows in the coastal states of the Atlantic Ocean and the eastern parts of the Great Plains. The river birch subsists in the Ohio Valley and as far north as southern Minnesota.
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Size
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The river birch can grow as tall as 80 feet but often the trunk "divides," resulting in a smaller tree with multiple limbs growing off of one root system. These trees are smaller, with some making it to 50 feet. The crown can spread as far across as 40 feet. The leaves of the river birch are 2 to 3 inches long and as wide as 2 inches.
Leaves
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The leaves of a river birch tree have a triangular shape and closely resemble the ace of spades in a deck of cards. They possess a broad, rounded base but taper off into a point on the other end. The edges of these leaves have a serrated margin and the leaves are alternate--a botanical term describing one leaf growing at each node on a stem. These stems are hairy. In the autumn the leaves can turn either greenish-yellow or a deep golden-yellowish shade.
Catkins and Strobiles
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In the winter the male flowers of a river birch, called catkins, will hang dormant on the twigs, devoid of any leaves. In the early spring as the weather warms up these catkins start to swell. Female flowers grow on the tree and pollination takes place between the flowers and the catkins. This produces the seed cone known as a "strobile" in birches.
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