Classic, Fast-Growing Ornamental Tree Why Heritage® River Birch Trees? Native Americans used the boiled sap as a sweetener similar to Maple syrup and the inner bark as a survival food. Plus, it's an elegant source of shade, with unique peeling bark that stands out in your landscape. However, it is not very flood-tolerant and may suffer during extended inundation. /Matrix [0.4497 0.2446 0.02518 0.3163 0.672 0.1412 0.1845 0.08334 0.9227] River birch tends to be more resistant to insects and diseases than other members of the birch family, and is praised for its general hardiness; still, the gardener must keep an eye out for some potential diseases that can potentially befall the river birch tree. Plants benefit with a 3 to 4 inch layer of mulch and supplemental water in dry periods. Hello: We planted this river birch approximately 1 year ago. Leaf venation is pinnate. << River birch is a fast-growing, deciduous semi-aquatic tree that reaches between 50 and 90 feet in height. As a bonus, we share some of the common uses of each tree, like decoration, fuel, furniture, etc. The river birch is a favorite tree in the southern United States, because it can tolerate dry conditions. As an added bonus, these will grow where white birches fail to thrive. It has a narrow, oval to pyramidal crown when young, spreading wider with age as several branches become dominant. River birch grows under full sun to full shade in highly acidic to slightly alkaline loam, clay or sand. 1. Aphids and caterpillars infest foliage. Leaf Venation. endobj The river birch is a tree for elven glades and fairy forests. Leaf upper surface green, glabrous or glabrate or pubescent, tomentose. It normally grows with a central leader and small-diameter, dark-colored lateral branches. Aphids and caterpillars infest foliage. An alternate common name is "black" birch, which is reflected in the species name, nigra (Latin for "black"). The river birch is a popular tree for river banks and wet parts of the garden. The slender petioles are nearly as long as the leaf blades; they are light green, glabrous, and somewhat flattened. Her professional experience includes teaching and tutoring students of all ages in literature, history and writing. stream River birch also is valuable as a source of erosion control and is used to reclaim areas with high soil acid caused by mining. Eastern Cottonwood is dioecious; individual trees produce either all male (staminate) flowers or all female (pistillate) flowers. The river birch also attracts wildlife, as birds eat its seeds and deer enjoy munching on twigs and foliage. River birch is a deciduous medium to large-sized native tree. River birch (Betula nigra) is a fast-growing, shade tree native to the Mississippi River flood plain in southeastern Minnesota.It is popular for its ornamental peeling bark. She holds a Bachelor of the Arts in political science and a Master of Fine Arts in writing. It produces flowers in the spring and winter, and small brown or green cones in the summer. /WhitePoint [0.9505 1 1.089] ‘Heritage’ river birch is reportedly resistant to bronze birch borer. 1/2 inch long petiole. Beauty certainly is one of its attributes, but there are many others. Yellow Birch - high elevation (in the south), you won't find river birch here. %���� Leaf lower surface green or white, glabrate or pubescent or with tufts in vein axils, tomentose or villous. River birch is widely planted for its appealing, peeling bark and shiny, diamond-shaped leaves. Buds hug the stem and may be hairy. River birch is drought sensitive and does not like hot, dry summers. Susceptible to leaf miner and scorch, and to leaf spots in wet climates. It lacks the white trunk bark associated with other birches but is distinguished by reddish-brown bark peeling off in film-like papery curls providing interest all year round. Betula nigra-- River Birch Page 2 Crown density: dense Figure 2. [/CalRGB For starters, it's resistant to common diseases, grows up to 2 to 3 feet each year, and adapts to a variety of soil types. Heritage® river birch. Minor problems with leaf miner and iron chlorosis which commonly occurs when grown on calcareous soils and other high pH soils. ��#q>&����5L�/���s�a~�J1��5Z�v�j�?���E�o�V�`oT�]xػ\z��巙���f�+��;MZ�� �G�>ݠ�S���,���+n;ꏆ�C�砮�i 4M$���k^� � | ޷�,��S��C̬@�3� /Gamma [1.8 1.8 1.8] Rest of margin is coarsely and doubly toothed. �@.�M"���V�� �����p��l3���j>�P��膱$#�1D��(�F ʱ��!���r�r�G��L�3�4�p. Christmas mistletoe (Phoradendron serotinum) is a common pest in the South. Its durable wood is easy to work with and is used to make a variety of items, including toys, artificial limbs and flatware. Some trees may have naturalized in the wild from yards and gardens, but several populations in New England are native, and the species is listed as rare in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Asked June 2, 2016, 12:14 PM EDT. It was very healthy until it recently developed this fungus or something on the leaves. C)���Q$� �v,=��m���Y�QG the leaf blade is compound (divided into leaflets) River birch occurs frequently along stream banks throughout Kentucky, except in the Bluegrass region. texensis ‘Texas White’ and Cercis reniformis ‘Oklahoma’ have far superior foliage and make wonderful substitutes for Thanks! Your help would be appreciated on what it is and what may be causing it. River birch can be easily trained with one central leader or as a m… The river birch can become susceptible to disease if pruned in the spring. Very similiar to black birch including a wintergreen smell, but bark is more flaky and yellow/shiny in color. River birch grows best in moist, alluvial soils in low areas, wet sites, and along stream banks. Its attractive bark is especially striking in the winter when the rest of the tree is bare. The bark of some are quite distinctive (very smooth and pinky white), making it a … Leaf venation pinnate, secondary veins on either side of the midvein 5–12. Birches are considered “bleeders”, avoid pruning in late spring before leaves emerge. River birch (Betula nigra), also known as red birch, black birch or water birch, is native to the southeastern United States where the trees typically grow in thickets along rivers and lakeshores, as well as on floodplains, sandbars and islands in streams. Betula nigra (River Birch) is a bushy deciduous tree prized for its incredible peeling bark. Please do not hesitate to call us at the Fayette Extension Office if you have any questions or concerns, (859) 257-5582. 1 0 obj Her work includes articles on gardening, education and literature. Though somewhat drought-tolerant, it grows best in moist soil and tolerates wet soil. >> ***The River Birch is an angiosperm. Birch leaves are not large, as the foliage of trees such as oaks and maples tends to be, with most only a few inches in length. Susceptible to leaf miner and scorch, and to leaf spots in wet climates. River birch, also called red birch, black birch, or water birch, is the only southern birch that grows in coastal plains. Clark has also published short literary fiction in the "Southern Humanities Review" and has co-authored a novel. The bark is light brown to buff, paperlike; exfoliating on young trees, turning to scaly bark on older trees. 3 0 obj When young, its peeling bark is silvery gray, before changing to pink, reddish-brown or black when mature. The Kentucky champion tree is in Johnson County and is 80 feet tall. Unlike other birch trees, this cultivar is resistant to bronze birch borer. The river birch tree often is used for landscaping due to its graceful drooping limbs and attractive color. What Kind of Tree to Use for Instant Shade? river birch simple, doubly serrated leaf w/ broad angled base and pointed tip; very papery bark that ranges from white, brown, and salmon color (dark brown with age); orange/brown, slender and hairy imbricate bud; alternate arrangement; brown/gray-reddish smooth twig /Length 67316 The Tree is a deciduous tree, it will be up to 25 m (82 ft) high. 'Heritage' river birch is reportedly resistant to bronze birch borer. Karen Clark has been writing professionally since 2001. Ruby-throated hummingbirds drink its sap. The leaves are ovoid and the flowers are yellow. Growth rate: fast Texture: medium Foliage Leaf arrangement: alternate (Fig. Ruby … Leaf blade shape. Rarely is this detrimental to the tree. River birch is a fast-growing, deciduous semi-aquatic tree that reaches between 50 and 90 feet in height. As a landscape plant, it is grown as a single-stem tree or in a clump as a multi-stemmed tree with three or more trunks. The Division of Forestry promotes and applies management for the sustainable use and protection of Ohio’s private and public forest lands. Habitat & Range. Birch trees are chosen for gardens because they display colorful, paper-like or shredding bark and tend to have a bright yellow fall leaf color. Reddish, peeling bark. This is a reference to its bark, which starts out salmon but turns darker as it matures. © Copyright 2020 Hearst Communications, Inc. River birches must be pruned only in the fall when the tree is dormant. This tree is also considered very messy. River birch is distinguished by having alternate, simple leaves, 1 1/2 to 3 1/2 inches long, 3/4 to 2 1/2 inches wide, sharp pointed, double toothed or shallowly lobed, with a wedge shaped base. Paper or Canoe Birch, B. papyrifera — Leaf base is round or heart-shaped and smooth. It also is resistant to Verticillium. ����P��4DC4c Some of the longer birch leaves grow on the yellow birch and sweet birch, at 4.5 inches and 5 inches in length respectively. Yukon birch has leaves that rarely exceed 1 1/2 inches in length, making these leaves among the smallest of all the birches in North America. The Black Birch is botanically called Betula lenta . The flowers are unisexual, borne in separate male and female catkins on the same tree. The veins consist of vascular tissues which are important for the transport of food and water.” Common Uses. It is very common to find fungal leaf spots on river birch trees, especially in years with high humidity. River birch, as an ornamental tree, offers fall and winter color to parks, yards and street sides. Companion plants grown with a birch tree need to complement -- not hide or visually overpower -- the ornamental features of the birch and grow in a climate and soil that already favors the birch tree. The tree likes Sun to half-shade at the location and the soil should be undemanding. Petioles 0.3–2 cm long, pubescent. River Birch, B. nigra — Leaves: broad, wedged base, smooth margin at base, rest is doubly toothed or may even be slightly lobed, 7-9 pairs of veins. the leaf blades are widest above the base, then taper narrowly towards the tip (lanceolate) the leaf blades are widest near the middle and tapered towards the base and tip (elliptic) Leaf blade width At least 3 cm Leaf divisions. River birch peel in colorful flakes of brown, salmon, orange and lavender. The leaves are alternate, double serrated, wedge-shaped, and sharply pointed. /Filter /LZWDecode River birch can grow 50 to 90 feet tall but is often seen 40 to 50 feet. University of Florida Environmental Horticulture: Betula Nigra. "0� �l8G��`.� �H�P�$�C�(#LgAH�g7�S,�m8)������T%A�0TD�D! It also is the best adapted to hot climates and is the only birch found in the southern states. The leaves turn yellow in the fall. Salmon-pink, smooth and shiny at first, the bark flakes and curls in cinnamon-brown to blackish sheets. Its leaves turn bright yellow in autumn; in the winter, its showy silver trunk adds beauty to the landscape. On the medical side, the leaves and bark from the river birch are used to treat skin irritations like eczema, rashes, etc. ] Wildlife, such as birds and rodents, eat its seeds, and deer eat its twigs and foliage. Leaf venation “is the pattern of veins in the blade of a leaf. When he once spotted it on a tour of the United States, Prince Maximilian of Austria called it the most beautiful of trees. Its diamond shaped, double-toothed leaves produce an erect or spreading canopy that covers an extensive area. >> Hardy in United States Department of Agriculture zones 4 to 9, river birch is the most widely distributed and adapted birch tree in the states. Cercis canadensis var. Thanks! << Shaded area represents potential planting range. I think the leaf venation can be different too compared to black birch, but would need to look that up to confirm. The principal leaf disease of river birch is anthracnose leaf blight caused by Gloeosporium betularum. Below you will find a link that will help provide more information. Betula lenta, or Sweet Birch, is a deciduous, pyramidal shaped tree, maturing into a more rounded shape that may grow 60 to 70 feet tall. pink; ‘Purple Leaf’ - young foliage purple; ‘Forest Pansy’ is a particularly attractive cultivar with purple-red leaves in the spring, but color fades to green in the summer in the south. For instance, the average white birch leaf grows to be about 2 to 3 inches long. Keep reading to learn more river birch tree facts, such as river birch tree care and effectively using river birch … The river birch is a “bleeder” and open wounds cause heavy sap flow that is attractive to some beetles, and wound dressing is ineffective. The veins of the leaves run directly to the teeth from the mid-vein of the leaf. River Birch Trees "River" birch is called so because, in its native habitat, it is often found growing near rivers. River Birch Leaf Spots. It's easy to understand why the Heritage® River Birch is such a popular tree. The multiple, slender trunks are draped in silver, satiny bark that splits to allow the nut-brown inner bark to peep through. %PDF-1.1 Without pruning, it grows with several trunks. River birch has no serious *$ 5D��(Aަ &�e؉�q� aј�qT��Q �l7��FX!\@n����^"-�����b.��9(�I���!��2H��HE� Though the tree is susceptible to chlorosis in high pH soils, as well as to aphids, beetle borers, leaf spots and anthracnose, these conditions and pests cause minimal damage and are not a major concern. ... Green Ash, Slippery Elm, Silver Maple, and River Birch. 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