River Birch Tree Identification

The river birch tree is a deciduous member of the birch family. The name is given to any tree of the genus Betula. It is botanically known as Betula nigra. River birch trees grow best near bodies of water and prefers acidic soil that is rich and moist to wet. It can handle drier soils but leaves drop in the summer from the interior of the canopy. It likes full to partial sun.

Tree

The river birch tree can grow as large as 50 to 90 feet tall when conditions are good. Many reach heights of about 80 feet tall. Healthy river birch trees should be able to survive well for about 40 to 50 years; many trees are unable to maintain their health and die out around twenty years of age. Young river birch trees have narrow to pyramidal crown that gradually spreads, as the tree grows older and can reach between 40 to 60 inches.

Bark

The bark of a young river birch tree is a salmon-color that peels back and rolls up to reveal different colors of pink, tan and cream. Older river birch trees have a thicker bark that is scaly and a brown-gray color. The bark of older trees does not peel as much as the bark on younger trees.

Leaves

The leaves of a river birch are symmetrical, and triangular in shape with alternate, double and serrated margins. The leaves are oval and can be three inches long and two inches wide. They are simple, broad, flat leaves that are not lobed. The stems of the leaves are somewhat hairy. While the leaves are a vibrant green during the summer months, they change to yellow, heralding in the fall.

Catkins

Catkins are male and female flowers that all birch trees have. During the winter, the male catkins are dormant and hang on bare twigs. When the weather begins to warm the catkins start to swell. Female catkins emerge from the axis of the leaf. Male catkins are longer than females by about 2 to 3 inches and exist in clusters of twos and threes. They are reddish-yellow in color. The female catkins are about 1 ¼ inches long and are covered in small hairs. They are pollinated by the wind, after which the female catkins look like small cones.

Region

The river birch tree is native to North America. In the United States is it native to the southern regions, the Atlantic coastal states, the lower Midwest, the western Great Plains, and the lower Mississippi River valley. River birch trees are planted all over the eastern United States primarily as shade trees or strictly ornamental due to the bright foliage and flaky bark.

References

• River Birch Tree