Copy permalink to share
Betulaceae
Betula

not marked as a favorite taxon Betula lenta Linnaeus var. lenta. Common name: Sweet Birch, Cherry Birch, Black Birch, "Mahogany". Phenology: Mar-Apr; Jun-Jul. Habitat: Forests at low to high elevations; common (uncommon in Piedmont). Distribution: S. ME west to OH, south to GA and n. AL. This species is generally restricted elevationally in North Carolina to medium elevations and lower, but in VA and northwards it reaches higher elevations, where it can be as common as B. alleghaniensis.

Glossary (beta!)

ID notes: Fall color is bright yellow.

Origin/Endemic status: Native

Taxonomy Comments: A diploid species (2n=2x=28).

Other Comments: B. lenta was once the primary source of methyl salicylate (wintergreen flavoring), used in medicines and confections; this is now produced synthetically.

Synonymy ⓘ: = Va; = Betula lenta L. — Can, F, FNA3, G, K4, NS, Pa, RAB, S, S13, Tat, Tn, W, WV, Furlow (1990); = Betula lenta — POWO; < Betula lenta L. — C, NE, NY, Ashburner & McAllister (2016), Hardin (1971a). Basionym: Betula lenta L. 1753

Links to other floras: = Betula lenta - FNA3

Show in key(s)

Show parent genus | Show parent in key(s)

Wetland Indicator Status:

  • Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain: FACU (name change)
  • Eastern Mountains and Piedmont: FACU (taxonomic split from wetland indicator species)
  • Midwest: FACU (taxonomic split from wetland indicator species)
  • Northcentral & Northeast: FACU (taxonomic split from wetland indicator species)

Heliophily ⓘ: 4

Your browser does not support SVGs

Hover over a shape, letter, icon, or arrow on the map for definition or see the legend.

image #1 of Betula lenta var. lenta© Gary P. Fleming
image #2 of Betula lenta var. lenta© Nate Hartley, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Nate Hartley source CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG | Original Image ⭷
image #3 of Betula lenta var. lenta© Eric M Powell, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Eric M Powell source CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG | Original Image ⭷
image #4 of Betula lenta var. lenta© Adrianna Nelson, some rights reserved (CC BY-ND), uploaded by Adrianna Nelson source CC-BY-ND | Original Image ⭷
image #5 of Betula lenta var. lenta© Steven Daniel, all rights reserved, uploaded by Steven Daniel source | Original Image ⭷
image #6 of Betula lenta var. lenta© Eric M Powell, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Eric M Powell source CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG | Original Image ⭷
image #7 of Betula lenta var. lenta© Branson Khounvichith, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Branson Khounvichith source CC-BY-SA | Original Image ⭷
image #8 of Betula lenta var. lenta© Scott Ward, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Scott Ward source CC-BY | Original Image ⭷
image #9 of Betula lenta var. lenta© Tom Norton, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Tom Norton source CC-BY | Original Image ⭷
image #10 of Betula lenta var. lenta© Sandy Wolkenberg, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Sandy Wolkenberg source CC-BY | Original Image ⭷
image #11 of Betula lenta var. lenta© Gary P. Fleming
image #12 of Betula lenta var. lenta© Erik Danielson source | Original Image ⭷
image #13 of Betula lenta var. lenta© Eric M Powell, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Eric M Powell source CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG | Original Image ⭷
image #14 of Betula lenta var. lenta© J.W. Hardin | Original Image ⭷
image #15 of Betula lenta var. lenta© Scott Ward, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Scott Ward source CC-BY | Original Image ⭷
image #16 of Betula lenta var. lenta© Erik Danielson source | Original Image ⭷
image #17 of Betula lenta var. lenta© Tom Norton, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Tom Norton source CC-BY | Original Image ⭷
image #18 of Betula lenta var. lenta© Scott Ward, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Scott Ward source CC-BY | Original Image ⭷

Feedback

See something missing or incorrect about Betula lenta var. lenta? Let us know here:
  1. Please include your name and if possible, email in case when need to clarify what you wrote.
  2. If you opt out of including email, please be as specific as possible (e.g., which photo is incorrect?)
  3. Please do not submit questions asking to identify plants or about horticultural topics (e.g., how do I control an invasive plant in my garden?). Instead, those questions can be submitted here for the Carolinas region only.
  4. Please do not send us feedback about unkeyed species as this work is ongoing.
  5. Please allow time for flora edits to show in our next data release. We greatly appreciate your feedback but may require extra time to research complicated taxonomic issues.

Horticultural Information

No horticultural data found for this taxon.