river birch
Betula nigra
USDA zones4 to 9
SunHandles full sun to partial shade
WaterHandles dry to wet soil
Size40 to 70 feet tall40 to 60 feet wide
- Growth rate
- Rapid
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer, autumn, winter
- Bloom color
- Brown (male) green (female)
- Foliage color
- Green.
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay, chalk
- Soil pH
- Acid, alkaline, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
River birch (Betula nigra) is a tree for specimen planting, winter interest, and rain gardens. It is hardy to USDA zone 4, or down to -30°F (-34°C). This plant likes full sun to part shade and dry to wet soil of most types. Its satiny, silver bark peels to reveal a cinnamon-brown trunk beneath. Deer usually look elsewhere for a meal. You can prune it in summer after the sap stops flowing.
Pairs well with Swamp white oak, Red twig dogwood, and Cinnamon fern.
Native range
Eastern United States.