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Resources < Wildlife Habitats < Guide to Native Plants of Georgia for Wildlife < Betula nigra
River Birch is a southern relative of other birches which are abundant in the north. Native Americans like the Iroquois used the bark of birches to construct the watertight, lightweight walls of their canoes. Early American settlers and pioneers copied the technique and used it to facilitate trade and exploration. The sap of the tree is sweet and was once used by indigenous southern tribes to make a syrup when boiled down. The inner bark is a nutritious, edible survival food, while ground up birch bark contains resinous oils which enable it to ignite and quickly start fires.
Besides being a tree with a variety of practical uses, the River Birch is also a marvelous landscape tree as a specimen, a row planting, or a naturally placed group. It arches gracefully over any water it is planted near, but is also adaptable to drier soils provided the tree stays cool and unstressed. Its unique, papery, peeling orange-gray bark provides winter interest when most other trees are drab and dormant.
Betulaceae (Birch)
A medium size tree with alternate, simple, deciduous leaves 1.5 inches to 3 inches long, 1 to 2 inches wide, margins are deeply doubly serrate. The leaves are bright green above, pale and hairy below; the petioles are slender, somewhat flattened, hairy, about ½ inch long. Inconspicuous catkins and flowers appear before the leaves. Bark is dark gray on mature trees, lighter to whitish on younger specimens, peels readily in thin flakes with an orange underside. Fall color is a solid yellow.
50 to 90’ high and 15 to 30 inches in diameter
A medium-sized tree whose trunk usually divides at about 20 feet from the ground. It may be single or multi-trunked, with large arching branches that form an irregular shaped crown.
River Birch grows at a moderate rate.
Full sun
There are several things to note before planting River Birch. First, the plant is adaptable to drier soils but is perfect for wetter ones. It rapidly grows large, so space it at a distance from the home. It also has trouble in the intense reflected heat of the urban environment and may not be suitable for urban forestry. The roots are fibrous and the tree transplants well.
The most noticeable asset of the tree is its unusual, heavily peeling bark whose form and salmon color contrast heavily with most eastern US trees. The arching form of the limbs and trunks is also highly desirable.
River Birch naturalizes gracefully along the bank of a river, stream, creek, pond, or water garden, where its trunk(s) can arch out over the water to take advantage of the sunshine. It is an excellent companion to other native water-loving trees like Sycamores and Willows. The plant is especially pleasing in a multi-trunk form. River Birch can withstand over watering from sprinkler systems and is a perfect fit for wet spots in the landscape.
The River Birch hosts the neon-green, blood red-studded caterpillar of the Polyphemus Moth, a huge and cute moth with humongous, feathery antennae and two gigantic, brilliant eye spots.
The seeds are eaten by the Chickadee, Goldfinch, Purple Finch, Pine Siskin, Redpoll, Tanager, Titmouse, Finch, Grouse and Nuthatch.
Found throughout Georgia in sunny spots along rivers, streams, and flood plains
Seeds should be sown in the fall. Propagation may also be done with softwood cuttings.
Text by Kevin Tarner, Georgia Wildlife Federation
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