- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Division
- Magnoliophyta
- Class
- Magnoliopsida
- Subclass
- Hamamelididae
- Order
- Fagales
- Family
- Betulaceae
- Genus
- Betula
This photo was taken by Jessica Tanner and the State of Georgia Botanical Gardens-1998.
Identification
This material comes from Little, 1980 written by Elbert L. Little, former chief dendrologist of the U.S. Forest Service.
"Often slightly leaning and forked tree with irregular, spreading crown.
Height: 40-80' (12-24m)
Diameter: 1-2' (0.3-0.6m)
Leaves: 11/2-3" (4-7.5cm) long, 1-21/4" (2.5-6cm) wide. Ovate or nearly 4-sided; coarsely doubly saw-toothed or slightly lobed; usually with 7-9 veins on each side. Shiny dark green above, whitish and usually hairy beneath; turning dull yellow in autumn.
Bark: Shiny pinkish-brown or slivery-gray; separating into papery scales; becoming thick, fissured, and shaggy.
Twigs: Reddish-brown, slender, hairy.
Flowers: tiny; in the early spring. Male yellowish, with 2 stamens, many in long drooping catkins near tip of twigs. Female greenish, in short upright catkins back of tip of same twig.
Cones: 1-11/2" (2.5-4 cm) long; cylindrical; brownish; upright; short-stalked; with hairy scales and hairy 2-winged nutlets; maturing in late spring or early summer.
Habitat: Wet soil of the stream banks, lakes, swamps, and flood plains; with other hardwoods.
Range: SW. Connecticut south to N. Florida, west to E. Texas, and north to SE. Minnesota; local in Massachussetts and S. New Hampshire; to 1000' (305m); to 2500' (762m) in Southern Appalachians."
For more information such as a reference book that includes species and identification key, please refer to Brown & Kirkman, 1990
This photo was taken by Jessica Tanner at the State of Georgia Botanical Gardens-1998.
For a key to the birch species and in particular the River Birch, please click here to access the Identification Guide on the Betula Genus page.
General Information about Betula nigra
- Furniture
- Landscaping and ornamental uses
Betula nigra L. |
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| AREA | STATUS | REFERENCES | |
| North America: Continental United States; Canada | Certain areas, not in Canada | Elias, 1980 | |
| Eastern North America: United States east of Mississippi; | Yes | Elias, 1980 | |
| Southeastern United States: AL AR DE DC FL GA KY MD NC SC TN VA WV | Yes | Elias, 1980 | |
| Southern Appalachian States: AL GA KY MD NC SC TN VA WV | Yes | Elias, 1980 | |
| Coastal Plain | Infrequent | Brown & Kirkman, 1990; | |
| Piedmont | Widespread | Brown & Kirkman, 1990 | |
| Blue Ridge Mountains | Marginal | Brown & Kirkman, 1990 | |
| Great Smoky Mountains National Park | Yes | Kemp, 1993 | |
| Ridge and Valley | Yes | Brown & Kirkman, 1990 | |
| Cumberland Plateau | Yes | Brown & Kirkman, 1990 | |
| Georgia | Yes | Brown & Kirkman, 1990 | |
| Clarke County, Georgia | Yes | Jones & Coile, 1988; | ACC Registry |
| Sams Farm | ? | - | |
Natural History
The River Birch prefers "well-drained upland sites once established."Brown & Kirkman, 1990 The River Birch grows frequently in the floodplains.
How to Encounter
You can encounter this species in numerous areas around Athens and the University of Georgia campus. There are a number of River Birches located near the Ecology Building on the University of Georgia campus and there are River Birches located in the Georgia Botanical Gardens. For further information on where the River Birches are located, refer to Brown & Kirkman, 1990 or Little, 1980 .
References
Athens-Clarke County Tree Registry. 1978.
Bishop, G. Norman. 1940. Native Trees of Georgia. Division of Forestry, Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the University of Georgia. Athens, Georgia. 96 pages. Brown, Claud L. and L. Katherine Kirkman. 1990. Trees of Georgia and Adjacent States. Timber Press, Inc. Portland, Oregon. (ISBN 0-88192-148-3). 292 pages. Elias, Thomas S. 1980. The Complete Trees of North America Field Guide and Natural History. Book Division, Time Mirror Magazines, Inc. New York, NY. (ISBN 0-442-23862-2). 948 pages.