River Birch

~ By LadyGenes ~

The River Birch is a fast growing tree that is ice and wind resistant. It's bark sheds in several colors: brown, peach, salmon, orange and lavender. It loves wet areas but will hold its own in modest droughts. It is not a tree people would cut down for its wood but is wonderful as an ornamental tree. They can grow 40 to 70 feet tall with a span of 25 to 35 feet. It also will not tolerate shade so plant in a sunny location.

You can get the River Birch in different clumps. We have a three clump birch in our backyard and it is so beautiful to watch when the wind is blowing through it. It does shed it's bark all the time so if you want an immaculate yard this would not be the tree for you. The bark when shed looks like little pieces of paper about 3 inches long and 2 1/2 to 3 inches wide.

The River Birch is also known as a Red Birch, Water Birch or Black Birch. It is also the only spring fruiting birch. It has separate male and female flowers! They are on the same tree, the male is in the form of a catkins and the female is a cone like cluster. The foliage is a pale yellow in the fall. In urban areas the River Birch only lives about 30 to 40 years whereas in a wet climate as on a river bank it will survive longer.

         

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