River Birch
Betula nigra L. - Birch family
Size
Mature Height: Up to around 70.0 feet
Planting Distance: 7.9 feet
Plant Type: Tree
Root Depth: 20 inches
Growth Form: Multiple Stem
Growth Rate: Rapid
Features
Flower Color: Brown
Conspicuous Flowers: No
Bloom Time: Mid Spring
Seasonal Growth: Spring and Summer
Evergreen: No
Fall Colors: No
Conditions
Shade Tolerance: Intolerant
Clay Soil Tolerance: Yes
Sandy Soil Tolerance: Yes
Drought Tolerance: Low
Flood Tolerance: Medium
Fire Tolerance: Medium
Salt Tolerance: None
Ecosystem Interactions
Pollinators: Larval Host (Moth); Wind
Larval Species depending on River Birch: Acrobasis betuleivorella, Acronicta betulae, Antheraea polyphemus polyphemus, Bucculatrix coronatella, Hyalophora cecropia, Hyphantria cunae, Lymantria dispar, Malacosoma americana, Morrisonia latex, Nemoria bistriaria bistriaria, Nites betulella, Orgyia leucostigma, Parornix conspicuella, Parornix obliterella, Phobetron pithecium, Pseudotelphusa betulella
Native Range
- USA: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin
State-level native status is based on data available through Plants of the World Online. Regional Native Status comes from the USDA Plants Database. For more detailed native status information, please refer to BONAP.