Betula Nigra, River brich
/By Mickaila Tippie Stamp
River birch or Betula nigra is a part of the Betulaceae family. Typically seen from eastern Texas, southwestern Iowa to Virginia and northern Florida. River birch is usually used as a steambank tree or used as a forest cover. At its mature height the River birch can get to 30-40ft, its width can get to 20-30ft and it can have a 40-60ft width(Arbor Day Foundation pg 1). Some interesting things about the River birch is its actually is a main contributor to the hay fever problem due to its abundant pollen production(Grelen pg 1). The seeds of a river birch are also the largest in comparison to all the Birch family(Grelen pg 1). River birch has both male and female flowers on the same plant meaning that it is monoecious. It also produces clusters of male pollen producing catkins that are seen at twig tips in the fall(The Morton Arboretum pg 1). Its leaf arrangement is simple and alternate. Its leaf shape is triangular or wedge-shaped with double serrated tooth margins(The Morton Arboretum pg 1). The bark of the river birch is very peely with a creamy or cinnamon color. As stated previously, River birch has both male and female flowers on the same plant. Its male flowers are small catkins and the female flowers stand upright and are along the same twig as the male flowers(The Morton Arboretum pg 1).
Picture of the River Birch leaf so you can see the venation and serrated tooth margins
https://www.wilsonbrosgardens.com/river-birch-tree.html
Seen here is a picture of the river birch bark, you can see the cinnamon bark/ tan bark and even a glimpse of the silver all in one picture!
River birch grows in hardiness zones consisting of: zones 4- 9(Arbor Day Foundation pg 1).River birch is typically seen by rivers since it's very helpful at controlling erosion. It’s appeal to applying with a landscape can come from a variety of reasons; such as it does get pretty fall colors which for Texans is something we want to see more of, it also has spring blossoms and of course it's beautiful bark. The appealing color of the bark as well as the texture and shade it brings provides interesting design value to a landscape. It also does help with erosion due to its ability to tolerate acidic soils which could also make it seem more desirable in a landscape that is struggling with either. It is also very tolerant of black walnut toxicity and resistant to the bronze borer(The Morton Arboretum pg 1). This could cause it to be more appealing to a horticulturist if the area seems to be prone to either or some tree’s on the property have or have either. The canopy alone can spread up to 40-60ft feet in diameter which could provide lots of shade and give a landscape designer or gardener the opportunity to create some sort of sitting area which allows not only a beautiful tree to look at but also gives one a cool conversation area on a hot summer day. It also has some industry value for its timber use on houses and furniture(Grelen pg 1)!
River birch has come a long way from once being used for ox yokes and wooden shoes (Arbor Day Foundation pg 1) to now being planted for not only to help a landscape but also to add a color, shade and texture to your beautiful landscape.
Sources:
Grelen, H.E. Betula nigra L.
The Morton Arboretum.
https://www.mortonarb.org/trees-plants/tree-plant-descriptions/river-birch
https://www.arborday.org/trees/treeguide/treedetail.cfm?itemID=792
Idea of a landscape setting possibly in a residential area or a garden of some sort with the river birch and other plantings. It not only is appealing to the eye but giving you texture and colors t play off with other plantings as seen in the picture
This is to show you the pretty fall colors it gets which could add to someone's landscape/ garden a pop of color when most of its other plants have a plain brown or green!
