Intro: A small to medium-sized, deciduous tree, commonly ranging from 15-25 m (50-80 ft.) tall when mature. Bark is salmon-pink to creamy white, tan, grayish brown or reddish brown and separating in irregular sheets, becoming dark brown and furrowed on older trees. Leaves are alternate, relatively small (mostly 4-8 cm long), and more or less arrowhead shaped. The leaf margins are variously toothed, except for the base of the leaf blade, which is entire. Flowers are arranged in separate male and female catkins that occur on the same tree, the dangling male catkins forming during the summer and persisting on the tree through the winter. Fruits are brown or tan, small (3-7 mm long) samaras that are borne in dense, cylinder-shaped structures that look like cones. (Botanically, however, these are not cones since, unlike the conifers, the seeds are produced by small flowers.) River birch is common along the rivers and streams of the Piedmont, sometimes hanging far out over the water. Easily recognizable by it's exfoliating or roughly furrowed bark.

Stems: Pith continuous. Young twigs (1-year-old or less) red or reddish-brown, glabrous or glabrate or pubescent. Twigs (2-4 years old) glabrous. Leaf scars crescent-shaped or half-round or triangular, bundle scars 3 per leaf scar, stipule scars present or inconspicuous, short shoots present, short shoots bearing leaves. Bark of mature trunks with conspicuous lenticels or exfoliating or furrowed or shreddy. Buds axillary, reddish-brown, (4-)5-7 mm long, ovoid or ovoid-conic, sharp, glabrous or glabrate or pubescent, ciliate or puberulent or tomentose, bud scales imbricate.

Leaves: Leaves deciduous, simple, petiolate, alternate or spiral, (3-)4-8 cm long, (2.5-)3-6 cm wide, deltoid or ovate or rhombic, leaf margins dentate or serrate or doubly serrate, leaf apices acuminate or acute, leaf bases cuneate or obtuse or truncate. Leaf upper surface green, glabrous or glabrate or pubescent, tomentose. Leaf lower surface green or white, glabrate or pubescent or with tufts in vein axils, tomentose or villous. Leaf venation pinnate, secondary veins on either side of the midvein 5-12. Petioles 0.3-2 cm long, pubescent. Stipules present, caducous, scarious.

Inforescence: Inflorescences terminal, catkins or cymes or simple dichasia, flowers sessile or stalked.

Flowers: Flowers unisexual or pistillate or staminate, epigynous. Perianth. Calyx synsepalous. Sepals (2-)4(-6) per flower. Corolla absent. Androecium. Stamens (1-)2(-4) per flower, separate. Gynoecium. Ovaries inferior, pistils 1 per flower. Gynoecium syncarpous, 2 carpels per flower, styles 2 per pistil, placentation apical. Other floral features. Hypanthia present.

Fruits: Fruits nuts or samaras, 0.3-0.7 cm long, brown or tan, fruit maturation 1 years.

Comments: Mature bark salmon-pink to creamy white, tan, grayish brown or reddish brown and separating in irregular sheets, becoming dark brown and furrowed; base of the leaf blade entire, the upper portion variously serrate or dentate; the small fruits borne in dense, cylinder-shaped, cone-like structures, 1.5-4 cm. long.

Height: 50-80 ft

plant sale text: In nature, river birch is found in moist river bottom soils, but it is a highly adaptable and heat tolerant tree for urban or naturalistic situations. It also provides fabulous winter interest with silver-colored bark that peels to reveal a cinnamon-brown trunk. A medium to fast growing tree, it is a medium-sized tree with an average height of 30-50 ft and a spread of 40-60 ft. Although it can handle harsh urban environments, to enjoy your river birch for a long time, plant in moist soils. Prune in summer when the sap has stopped flowing. This genus supports up to 400 lepidoptera species as well as other wildlife. A host plant for the Mourning Cloak and Dreamy Duskywing butterflies.

bloom table text:

description: A small to medium-sized, deciduous tree, commonly ranging from 15-25 m (50-80 ft.) tall when mature. Bark is salmon-pink to creamy white, tan, grayish brown or reddish brown and separating in irregular sheets, becoming dark brown and furrowed on older trees. Leaves are alternate, relatively small (mostly 4-8 cm long), and more or less arrowhead shaped. The leaf margins are variously toothed, except for the base of the leaf blade, which is entire. Flowers are arranged in separate male and female catkins that occur on the same tree, the dangling male catkins forming during the summer and persisting on the tree through the winter. Fruits are brown or tan, small (3-7 mm long) samaras that are borne in dense, cylinder-shaped structures that look like cones. (Botanically, however, these are not cones since, unlike the conifers, the seeds are produced by small flowers.) River birch is common along the rivers and streams of the Piedmont, sometimes hanging far out over the water. Easily recognizable by it's exfoliating or roughly furrowed bark.

stems: Pith continuous. Young twigs (1-year-old or less) red or reddish-brown, glabrous or glabrate or pubescent. Twigs (2-4 years old) glabrous. Leaf scars crescent-shaped or half-round or triangular, bundle scars 3 per leaf scar, stipule scars present or inconspicuous, short shoots present, short shoots bearing leaves. Bark of mature trunks with conspicuous lenticels or exfoliating or furrowed or shreddy. Buds axillary, reddish-brown, (4-)5-7 mm long, ovoid or ovoid-conic, sharp, glabrous or glabrate or pubescent, ciliate or puberulent or tomentose, bud scales imbricate.

leaves: Leaves deciduous, simple, petiolate, alternate or spiral, (3-)4-8 cm long, (2.5-)3-6 cm wide, deltoid or ovate or rhombic, leaf margins dentate or serrate or doubly serrate, leaf apices acuminate or acute, leaf bases cuneate or obtuse or truncate. Leaf upper surface green, glabrous or glabrate or pubescent, tomentose. Leaf lower surface green or white, glabrate or pubescent or with tufts in vein axils, tomentose or villous. Leaf venation pinnate, secondary veins on either side of the midvein 5-12. Petioles 0.3-2 cm long, pubescent. Stipules present, caducous, scarious.

inflorescence: Inflorescences terminal, catkins or cymes or simple dichasia, flowers sessile or stalked.

flowers: Flowers unisexual or pistillate or staminate, epigynous. Perianth. Calyx synsepalous. Sepals (2-)4(-6) per flower. Corolla absent. Androecium. Stamens (1-)2(-4) per flower, separate. Gynoecium. Ovaries inferior, pistils 1 per flower. Gynoecium syncarpous, 2 carpels per flower, styles 2 per pistil, placentation apical. Other floral features. Hypanthia present.

fruits: Fruits nuts or samaras, 0.3-0.7 cm long, brown or tan, fruit maturation 1 years.

comments: Mature bark salmon-pink to creamy white, tan, grayish brown or reddish brown and separating in irregular sheets, becoming dark brown and furrowed; base of the leaf blade entire, the upper portion variously serrate or dentate; the small fruits borne in dense, cylinder-shaped, cone-like structures, 1.5-4 cm. long.

cultural notes:

germination code:

native range: eastern United States