Transcript Paper Birch - Instructor

Paper Birch
Betula papyrifera
•
•
Habitat
– the most widely distributed (east to west)
of all North American birches
– northern North America, Labrador to
Alaska, south into Northern Rocky
Mountains, northern plains states and
Pennsylvania
– zone 2
Habit and Form
– a deciduous, medium-sized tree
– 50' to 70' tall
– more or less pyramidal when young
– older trees become oval to rounded, with
increasing irregularity in shape
– individuals have single trunks, but
nurseries often grow them in groups of 3
or 4 ("clump birches") individual seedlings
planted together in a common container
– fast growing, especially when young
– typically branched to a few feet above the
ground in open exposures
– texture is medium
Paper Birch
Betula papyrifera
• Summer Foliage
– alternate, ovate, simple
leaves, 2" to 4" long and 1.5"
to 3" wide
– often with an acuminate or
pointed tip
– leaf base either acute or
heart-shaped
– color is a dull, dark green
above and paler on the
underside
• Autumn Foliage
– clear bright yellow
– typically dependable and
showy
Paper Birch
Betula papyrifera
• Flowers
– 2" to 4" long catkins, usually
in 3's and some in pairs
(male). Female catkins 1" to
1.5" long
– blooming in early spring
– prior to bloom, catkins are
shorter
– little ornamental value
• Fruit
– catkins, 1" to 1.5" long,
composed of nutlets
– no ornamental importance
Paper Birch
Betula papyrifera
• Bark
– young branches show smooth,
reddish-brown bark with
horizontal lenticels
– bark becoming papery, chalky
white after about 4 seasons
– bark exfoliates or peels in strips
to expose orange inner bark
– on very mature trunks, the white
is mixed with rough, black
patches
– probably the best white bark
birch. The bark remains white
longer than B. pendula and turns
white relatively quickly on young
branches.
Paper Birch
Betula papyrifera
• Culture
– best adapted to cooler climates
– does poorly in high summer
heat, especially root zone heat
– fairly soil adaptable, often found
growing in sandy, gravely soils.
Prefers well-drained, slightly acid
sandy loam soils
– easy to transplant and establish
from container or B&B
– not tolerant of pollution or
difficult sites
– full sun
– avoid spring pruning to prevent
bleeding