River Birch

Betula nigra

Summary 6

Betula nigra (black birch, river birch, water birch) is a species of birch native to the Eastern United States from New Hampshire west to southern Minnesota, and south to northern Florida and west to Texas.

Betula nigra is a deciduous tree, known to grow to 80–100 ft with a trunk 20 to 60 inches in diameter, although the specimins in the Reservation are all much younger and smaller than this. The base of the tree is often divided into multiple slender trunks. The leaves are alternate, 1 1/2 to 3 1/4 inches long and 1 - 2 inches wide, with a serrated margin and five to twelve pairs of veins. The upper surface of the leaf is dark green in color, while the underside can be described as having a light yellow-green color The leaves turn yellow in Autumn. The flowers are wind-pollinated catkins 1 1/4 - 2 1/4 inches long, the male catkins pendulous, the female catkins erect.

B. nigra is tolerant of flooding, and commonly found naturally in flood plains and/or swamps. It is a popular tree for landscaping because of the striking salmon-pink peeling bark found on younger trees. In the Reservation, it has been widely planted along trails and near parking lots.

Fontes e Créditos

  1. (c) Michael Blacketter, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Michael Blacketter
  2. (c) Lisa Wiencek Gerbec, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Lisa Wiencek Gerbec
  3. (c) David Seibold, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-NC), https://www.flickr.com/photos/stillugly/49692371356/
  4. (c) Katja Schulz, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY), https://www.flickr.com/photos/treegrow/39705405805/
  5. (c) Plant Image Library, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/138014579@N08/26512387295/
  6. Adaptado por Tom Pollard de uma obra de (c) Wikipedia, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betula_nigra

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