It has a dark brown to greyish black color. The conspicuous fall foliage makes it a popular garden tree. River birch has a scaly gray-black bark on older trees. Unlike other birch trees, its bark does not peel. The Tree is a deciduous tree, it will be up to 25 m (82 ft) high. After growing to about ¾ of an inch, they open in the spring. Native to Alaska and the western US as well as most of Canada. How to Identify a Tree by Its Bark Smooth, unbroken bark. Removed from its industrial history, it is now primarily found in forests and used as an ornamental tree in landscaping. This tree is a source of food and lodge material for the common North American beaver. They are singly or irregularly doubly serrated on their margins. Native to the northern US, Alaska, and most of Canada. The male (staminate) catkin is green and 3/4 to 1 inch long. In April and May, flowers open. For instance, the average white birch leaf grows to be about 2 to 3 inches long. Stand at a distance from a birch tree and consider the overall shape of the species. They fall from mid-September to November, and in natural conditions will normally germinate the following spring. Eastern Red cedar. In general, black birch has low fruit-seed abundance. Ice damage usually causes death of black birch by making the tree more susceptible to wood decaying organisms. The wood is used chiefly for fence posts … Black birch trees are classified as intolerant of shade and in densely populated areas where there is no access to sunlight, the trees will succumb to competition. Black birch was once harvested extensively to produce oil of wintergreen—the tree was borderline endangered until the 1950s-60s when synthetic oil of wintergreen appeared. This evergreen is a type of juniper tree. The beech tree has relatively smooth bark with no ridges. The Black birch is native to eastern North America. From mid-August to mid-September, seeds ripen and are housed in erect strobili. It has a dark brown to greyish black color. Several species fungi and leaf-feeding insects attack the black birch and can cause decay and/or disease, ultimately proving lethal. The Black Birch is botanically called Betula lenta . The bark of young trees is reddish brown to black with lighter colored lenticels. The most important fungi include white trunk rot, while the most prevalent leaf-eating insects include birch tubemaker, http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=11, https://plants.jstor.org/stable/10.5555/al.ap.flora.fna003_betula_lenta?searchUri=filter%3Dname%26so%3Dps_group_by_genus_species%2Basc%26Query%3Dbetula%2Blenta, https://gobotany.newenglandwild.org/species/betula/lenta/, https://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/silvics_manual/Volume_2/betula/lenta.htm, http://www.mortonarb.org/trees-plants/tree-plant-descriptions/sweet-birch. Betula lenta (sweet birch, also known as black birch, cherry birch, mahogany birch, or spice birch) is a species of birch native to eastern North America, from southern Maine west to southernmost Ontario, and south in the Appalachian Mountains to northern Georgia. The branches are brown, upright with conspicious winter buds. Find the perfect Black Birch Tree stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. This is valuable and useful information that can help you to learn more about the birch tree. You will find a lot of wonderful information on birch trees, including information about the birch tree species, planting information, and much more. Black birch leaves are simple, alternate, elliptical to ovate with an acute tip and cordate base. black birch (Betula lenta) leaf underside, black birch (Betula lenta) flower colse up, black birch (Betula lenta) tree in winter. Black birch is native to eastern North America, from southern Maine west to southern Ontario, and south down through the Appalachian region into Georgia. The leaf margin is serrated. It is tolerant to acidic and alkaline soils as well as salt spray, allowing it to thrive in many conditions. The male flower is conspicuous, yellow, hanging down. Black Locust trees have a narrow crown that tends to become bushy as the tree ages. River birch (Betula nigra): Sometimes called black birch, this species has a much darker trunk than the paper birch, but still has the characteristic flaky surface. It is formed in the late summer or early autumn, hangs down from thin twigs in the winter, and opens up in the spring to release its pollen. The female catkin is 1/2 to 3/4 inch in length and when fertilied, gives rise to green cones. The bark is dark red-brown to blackish, and smooth. Select from premium Black Birch Tree of the highest quality. Betula Occidentalis Water Birch, Red Birch. Birch Tree Photos. It is a dominant tree in the northern hardwood forests of northern Appalachia. Blueleaf birch has whitish bark that will not peel, but with a reddish tint to it. The black birch is monoecious with male and female catkin flowers. Black birch trees have ascending branches with thin, hariless twigs that are dark red/brown in color. Sweet birch should not be confused with river birch, Betula nigra, a tree of wetlands and flood plains.Unfortunately, both Betula lenta and Betula nigra are sometimes called black birch. Black birch habitats average about 45 inches of precipitation per year, half of which falls in the growing season, and average annual temperatures of 45° F to 56° F with extremes from 74° F to 15 °F. The fruit of the black birch is a brown, cone-like aggregate, that is 1-1.5 inches in length. Sometimes you'll notice that a tree's... Lots of lenticels. 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