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11 Common Species of Birch Trees

Identified by their unique bark, birch trees look lovely in the landscape.

By

Vanessa Richins Myers

Vanessa Richins Myers

Vanessa Richins Myers is a seasoned horticulturist, writer, and educator with over 10 years of training and experience as a professional horticulturist and gardener. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in horticulture, with an emphasis in landscape design and urban horticulture. She volunteers as a community garden specialist.

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Updated on 07/29/22

Reviewed by

Andrew Hughes

Reviewed by Andrew Hughes

Andrew Hughes is a certified arborist and member of the International Society of Arborists specializing in tree heal care. He founded and runs Urban Loggers, LLC, a company offering residential tree services in the Midwest and Connecticut.

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The Spruce / Letícia Almeida

Birch trees belong to the genus Betula and are classified as part of the Betulaceae family of plants. They are typically small to medium-sized trees and shrubs found in temperate zones across the Northern Hemisphere. Some varieties grow in shrubby clusters. Others are trees that clump with multiple trunks, and still more grow as classic single-trunk trees. Ask anyone what's special about a birch tree and its beautiful bark immediately comes to mind. Birches are a common choice in landscaping, but they are relatively short-lived trees when compared to other hardwoods, and many become damaged by insects and diseases.

Tip

Most birches are characterized by varicolored or white bark with papery plates, distinctive horizontal markings, and peeling layers; the appearance of the bark often is the feature that gives the species its common name.

Click Play to Learn About Common Species of Birch Trees

Most birch trees grow best in moist soil and they love full sun. However, the roots might head for your plumbing pipes if a large tree is planted too close to your house. Do not let this deter you though; these are magnificent trees that are not hard to grow and should be a choice for your landscape. Birches are fast-growing trees that can quickly provide benefits to your yard.

Insect pests are most likely to strike a birch tree in areas where it is wounded or diseased. By keeping your trees well pruned and free of damaged branches, you can greatly reduce the likelihood of infestation by bronze birch borer or other insects.

Here are 11 common types of birch trees to consider for your landscape and areas where they are typically grown in the United States and around the world.

The various species of birch trees in the Betula genus include at least these 11 that are important landscape trees. Birch trees offer interesting bark color and texture and attractive foliage, but they are relatively short-lived and they are prone to suffer from diseases and insects, especially the bronze birch borer. But birches still make excellent, fast-growing landscape specimens, provided you have realistic expectations.

6 Types of Birch Trees with Gorgeous Fall Foliage

Article Sources

The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

  1. Bog Birch. The Morton Arboretum.

  2. The Bronze Birch Borer and Its Management. University of Minnesota Extension Service.

10 Varieties Of Birch Trees

Slender and graceful, birch trees are admired by many gardeners. The birch offers enchantment in all seasons. In spring, its bright green leaflets open together with dangling clusters of catkins. In summer they offer the chiaroscuro of dappled shade, followed by brilliant foliage colors in fall. Their lovely bark is exposed in winter. 

If you think of birch trees as having papery white bark and green leaves, you aren’t wrong. Many varieties of birch trees share these features. But did you know that there are dozens of varieties of birch, even without counting birch tree cultivars, and that some have a very different appearance? 

If you are wondering about the different varieties of birch trees, read on. Here’s a round-up of our favorite varieties of birch. We have included some weeping birch varieties and some small birch varieties for more compact gardens. 

1. European birch (Betula pendula) 

This is a classic and extremely popular birch, one of the weeping birch varieties. It grows to between 30 and 60 feet (10 and 20 m.) tall and wide. The trunk has lovely white bark with black fissures, and the branches are drooping. The leaves of this birch are green in summer, canary yellow in fall. It prefers a full sun location and well-draining moist soil.

2. Paper birch (Betula papyrifera)

With white peeling papery bark and green leaves, the paper birch looks a lot like the European birch except that its branching structure is upright. It’s a rock-star tree, growing fast and dying young, but very helpful for wildlife, attracting many wild birds and hosting the larvae of Luna moths. Plant in sun and keep the soil moist.

3. River birch (Betula nigra)

River birch trees have attractive trunks in shades of red from cinnamon to salmon. The bark peels and curls. The foliage is glossy green during summer, then blazes yellow in autumn. This is a birch that tolerates heat, part shade, and some drought, unlike many of its family members. 

4. Black birch (Betula lenta) 

How about a birch with dark brown bark? The black birch’s bark resembles the bark of a cherry tree but happens to be extremely fragrant with a wintergreen scent. The tree’s green leaves turn golden in fall. It is not one of the small birch varieties and can grow to 90 feet (30 m.) tall.

5. Gray birch (Betula populifolia) resembles the paper birch. However, this species normally grows with multiple trunks and its bark is whitish-gray and doesn’t peel. It will grow in dry and sandy soils, though it, like most birch, prefers moist soil.

6. Yellow or golden birch (Betula alleghaniensis)

If you like birch with peeling bark, consider the yellow birch. Its handsome copper-colored bark peels off in sheets, and it also offers a yellow autumn display. No dry or sandy soils for this native, and no hot sites either. Yellow birch is a tall deciduous tree, its single trunk rising to 80 feet (27 m.) tall, making it one of the largest birches in North America.

7. Japanese White Birch (Betula platyphylla ‘Japonica’) 

Native to Korea and Japan, this species is one of the weeping birch varieties. It is a medium tall tree, growing to 50 feet (17 m. ) tall, in USDA zones 3 to 8. It has white bark and thin spreading branches with drooping branchlets. It can thrive in moist, well-drained loam in full sun. 

8. Water birch (Betula occidentalis or Betula fontinalis) 

This attractive birch is among the small birch varieties, as it only grows to 25 feet (8 m.) as a shrub and 40 feet (12.5 m.) as a tree. In the wild, water birch trees grow next to streams in mountainous regions in zones 3 through 7. The attractive bark is dark mahogany and smooth, not peeling. Beavers use this tree for food and lodge material. 

9. Dwarf Birch (Betula nana) 

Another of the small birch varieties, dwarf birch is a native of cool tundra landscapes in USDA zones 1 through 8, including Alaska, Canada, Greenland, and northern Asia. It truly is a dwarf species, topping out at 3 feet (.9 m.) tall. Like most birch, it prefers wet but well-drained soil and full sun. 

10. Himalayan Birch (Betula utilis var. jacquemontii) 

It’s a winning combination for Himalayan birch: lovely spring flowers, deep gold fall foliage, and bright white papery bark. This medium-sized tree –to 50 feet (17 m.) – grows into a pyramid shape from its single trunk. It thrives best in cooler climates like USDA zones 4 through 7 where the birch is a heartier and longer-lived tree. 

April, birch tears | Articles of the journal "Orchards and Orchards of Primorye"

The temperature in April varies, the ground either freezes or thaws. If you approach a birch in the early morning, you can find an icicle - the juice oozing from the bark turned into ice - birch tears. And the taste of ice is a little sweet. We can hardly catch this sweetness. But for the village children of the post-war period, these ice cubes were really sweet. And in the morning on the way to school, when the sun had not yet melted everything that had frozen during the night, they turned to the birches to break off an icicle from the frozen birch sap. The day started with joy.

Birch in our soul always resonates with feelings for some reason - maybe that's why so many poetic lines are devoted to our white birch. Did you know that not all birches are white? In addition to white birches, there are also black ones. And other representatives of the birch family grow in Primorye. We asked the engineer-dendrologist of the Ussuriysk Mining and Taiga Station to tell about them. V.L. Komarov Pavel Ostrogradsky. Birches were the subject of his scientific interest for 15 years. According to Pavel Georgievich, the birch family is quite diverse. Conventionally, it can be divided into six sections, and within each there will be several types. So let's get acquainted.

Birch grove

– For a dendrologist, all trees are interesting, this is a subject of professional study. But, of course, birch is a special tree, says Pavel Ostrogradsky. - Birch is a very beautiful and also useful tree that helps to survive. And it's not just about birch sap, which is extremely useful. The birch under the outer layer of the bark has a "living bark" - a layer along which the vessels pass. Moisture and nutrients rise along them from the roots. So if you take a piece of this bark and boil it for 2-3 hours, then you will get something resembling jelly. And eating this jelly, you can hold out for several months, even if you do not have any other food. Of course, experienced taiga dwellers and hunters, once in the taiga, will always find some kind of food, but the fact remains: in a hopeless situation, in winter, it is the birch that can save you from hunger.

Speaking of juice, it is useful both fresh and fermented. Kvass from birch sap can be drunk until autumn. But you need to know how to harvest this juice correctly so as not to damage the tree itself. If you make huge notches on the bark, and you do it with an ax, then, of course, this is fatal and unacceptable for the tree. And if you drill a small hole with a thin drill, and then cover up this hole after the end of sap flow, then the tree will survive such an intervention painlessly. You can't be greedy. It is better to sap a few trees than to severely damage the bark of one birch in order to collect a lot of juice from it.

The most recognizable and beloved by us beauty white birch is a section of white birches, which includes two species: Manchurian birch and flat-leaved birch. These two species are not always distinguished even by experts. These are the birches that we, in fact, consider to be birches and unmistakably recognize them.

Such birches are found everywhere in Russia. If white-trunked birch trees grow on swampy lands, they develop outgrowths on their trunks, which makes their wood very valuable, unusual in structure. This is a unique material for wood carvers and furniture makers. On the border with Finland, in the Leningrad region, there are many such birches. There and in central Russia there are many birches that have a weeping shape. Weeping is characteristic of many types of birches. In the Far East, this form of crown is rare. Our Christmas trees, if you have noticed, do not grow the same as in the European part: their branches are not directed downwards, but upwards.

Not everyone knows that in addition to white-trunked birches there are black birches, in our country this species is represented by Dahurian birch. The bark of old Dahurian birch trees is dark gray or black-brown, with longitudinal cracks. It exfoliates into many thin layers on the ribs between the cracks. Silky to the touch. The bark of the branches is light or dark brownish-brown with white lenticels. In younger branches, it is pinkish, reddish or brown. Daurskaya birch is found not only in Primorye, but also in the south of the Khabarovsk Territory and in the Amur Region. Down the Amur it reaches Komsomolsk, along the sea coast - to the area of ​​Sovetskaya Gavan, in the west it goes to Transbaikalia. Black birch is one of the most thermophilic types of birches. It grows quickly, photophilous, but short-lived. Prefers damp sandy soils, undemanding to fertility. Grows along river valleys, on damp alluvial soils and swamps. The bark of black birch on old trees is cracked, dark gray or even blackish, peeling off on the ribs between cracks, on young trees it is pinkish-brown, slightly flaky. The bark peels off in the form of paper layers.

Yellow birch, or ribbed birch, also grows on the slopes of the mountains in Primorye. Outwardly and in the shape of the leaf, it does not differ much from white-trunk birch, but its bark has a bright yellow, even orange tint, it is very flaky. Yellow birches include Erman's birch and woolly birch. In Primorye, it grows in mountainous areas. There is also a lot of it on the coast of the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bOkhotsk, it also grows on the Kuril Islands.

Those who climbed Pidan, Falaza or Mount Cloudy could see a dwarf birch. Its height is tiny compared to the usual 25-30 meters for other birches. Dwarf birch occurs in shrub form and rises no higher than 3 meters. It is these birches that can be found in the arboretum of the mountain taiga station near Ussuriysk. The leaf of this birch is round, and looking at the color of the trunk you will not understand that you are standing next to a birch.

Iron birch also does not look like white-trunked birch - its bark is red-brown, with a transition to black. The wood is very dense. If you try to cut down such a birch with an ax, it will take more than one day, even if the trunk has a small diameter. Birch wood is perfectly processed on machines that work on metal. During the war, iron birch wood was used to make bearings. They say that the tree does not sink, but this does not apply to the iron birch. Even dried pieces of wood immediately go to the bottom. Now iron birch is listed in the Red Book. It grows very slowly. On the territory of the arboretum there are iron birches planted at 1937 year. Now their diameter does not exceed 20 cm, although there are larger specimens. The leaf of this birch is similar to the leaf of an ordinary birch. Our stone birch grows in Nadezhdinsky and Shkotovsky districts, on the coast of Lake Khanka. This tree is listed in the Red Book.

Stone birch has a more northern halo of distribution - from Sovgavan to the coast of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, found in the north of Primorye, in the mountains. This species includes Ermani birch and Lenata woolly birch. Outwardly, the stone birch is similar to an ordinary birch - it is white-trunked, tall. It has a spreading crown, in the arboretum there are trees that reach a height of more than 20 meters. This birch also has a very durable wood. It is difficult to bend or break. Freshly sawn wood of stone birch sinks in water, while dried wood is kept afloat. Much depends on where exactly the birch grows. In the arboretum, woolly birch grows tall and even, but somewhere in the wind it can be low and clumsy, the trunk can be bent under the influence of winds, the tree grows low. There are a lot of such birches on the Kuril Islands.

We are used to the fact that birch has white bark, but it has a different color not only in birches of different types, but also on the same tree. Depending on the age, the bark on different branches has its own color. On young and thin branches it is one, on the trunk and thick branches it is different.

Birch reaches its reproductive age at the age of 5-7 years. From this age, it begins to bloom and form seeds. Birch trees bloom imperceptibly, at high altitude. Birch catkins are small, inconspicuous, pollinated by the wind. By autumn they form a mass of seeds. Small lionfish with seeds crumble after leaf fall. They are scattered by the wind, which carries them over the snow.

Birch seeds are photosensitive - they sprout only in the light. For germination, they must fall on an open, well-lit area of ​​​​soil. Only in this case they will be able to germinate. They germinate well in moss, which retains moisture. But once they get into the thickets of grass, they die, because at first the germinated seeds have very weak and tender roots that cannot withstand the onslaught of rapidly growing grass. They sprout easily and in large numbers, but do not differ in vitality. They can die in the shade or from lack of moisture. Very easily and quickly populate wastelands or places after fires. For this birch is called a pioneer tree. It is the first to grow in burnt areas, where thousands of seeds sprout. And already under the cover of a birch, under its canopy, other tree species later grow.

Birch nurseries have “birch beds” several kilometers long. These are such strips where the birch literally rises with a brush. All seedlings that have reached the age of one year are already more or less viable. They are dug up, dived and grown for another 2-3 years, when they reach a height of 60-70 cm, after which they can already be used in landscaping, dug up and planted in a permanent place.

Birch tears

As you know, in spring, when the soil thaws, the trees wake up and the root system begins to pump moisture from the soil. Trees begin to drive juice - the movement of liquid with minerals and sugars dissolved in it begins through the vessels of the bark. Their trees accumulate from autumn to give impetus to the awakening of the kidneys, the unfolding of the leaves, the timely flowering. The reserves of these substances from the roots begin to circulate through the vessels of the cortex. If there are wounds on the bark, the tree starts to cry. Juice contains many biologically active substances and minerals, so it is very useful. Absolutely all types of birches cry. Another thing is that, unlike white-trunked birches, other species of birch are listed in the Red Book as endangered. For this reason, they are not used to collect juice. And very few people tried the juice of iron or stone birch. But if we compare the sap of different birches, then the sap of a white-barreled birch contains 1.2 - 1.5% sugar. Black birch sap is about 2 times sweeter. Sweeter juice and yellow birch. But if we compare birch sap with maple sap, which is also customary to collect in the spring, then maple sap will be sweeter, and in those types of maple that grow in Canada, the sugar content reaches 7-8%. Compared to birch sap, maple sap can be considered syrup. We also grow small-leaved maple. Which has a sugar content in the juice - 4.5%. It is also 2-3 times sweeter than birch. But the duration of sap flow in maple is very short, so birch sap is more familiar to us.

Unusual types of birch for a natural style plot

It would seem that what could be more common than a white birch? It turns out that there are birch trees with a bark of a different color, with an unusual crown shape or original leaves. Decorative birches are able to give the site in a natural style new colors.

Birch is considered the most common tree in the northern hemisphere, and we have a special relationship with it, as a symbol of the country. Birch in the countryside creates a romantic natural style. By developing an old site with already growing birch trees, you can save the trees by inscribing them into the planned landscape.

Many summer residents are wary of birches, believing that they are aggressive and harm the garden. Traditional large warty birch trees with strong roots consume a lot of moisture, while in wet areas they help maintain balance and get rid of excess water. It is believed that nothing grows under birches, but this is not entirely true. It is quite possible to find them companions who can withstand shade and dry soil.

If you are developing a new plot and want to decorate the whole garden or its corner in a natural style, then the birch will be an excellent soloist. Moreover, nurseries can offer you not only traditional, but also rare natural species, as well as modern unusual varieties. We offer you to get acquainted with some original birch trees that can be the highlight of your garden.

Birches with unusual bark look very impressive. It can vary in color, be smooth or warty, layered or covered with a network of bizarre cracks.

Alleghan birch (Betula alleghaniensis)

The largest tree among North American birch species, reaching a height of 18-24 m. The leaves are large (up to 12 cm), oblong-ovate with a sharp apex and a slightly heart-shaped base. Autumn leaf color is bright yellow.

This species was formerly called yellow birch. In North America, it has another name - golden birch. This name is associated with the unusual color of the bark, silver-gray or yellowish-bronze. The bark has small dark lenticels, exfoliates in thin horizontal stripes.

The plant is long-lived, winter-hardy, shade-tolerant. Prefers moist but well-permeable soils.

Paper birch (Betula papyrifera)

Large tree 15-20 m high and 8-10 m wide with a pyramidal, dense crown and a straight, slender trunk. Annual growth is 45 cm in height, 25 cm in width. Young shoots are pubescent, later becoming reddish-brown, shiny. At first they grow up, eventually take a horizontal position. The leaves are ovate, 5-10 cm long, turning yellow in autumn.

This species is particularly attractive due to the dazzling white, "papery" bark of the trunk, which is the color from the base to the top of the tree. In young birches, the bark may have a pinkish tint, it is distinguished by very long (15-20 cm), brownish lenticels, which easily leaves in transverse stripes.

An unpretentious, frost-resistant, light-loving tree, undemanding to conditions, tolerates both acidic and slightly alkaline soils, but grows best on moist, light loams or sandy loams with good drainage.

Cherry or sugar birch (Betula lenta)

A tree 7-20 m high, with a pyramidal crown when young, becoming rounded with drooping thin, reddish-brown shoots. The leaves are large, 10-12 cm long, oblong-ovate, bright green in summer, becoming very showy, reddish-yellow in autumn. In spring, birch attracts attention with numerous, long stamen catkins. Cherry birch is similar to Allegan birch, seedlings are especially similar. Mature trees are easily distinguished by the color of the bark.

The breed is interesting for its unusual, dark, cherry-red bark. In mature trees, vertical cracks form on it, creating dark brown rough patterns. Cherry birch bark accumulates methyl salicylate, which gives it a characteristic fresh aroma.

Long-lived, frost-resistant, photophilous plant. Prefers deep, well-permeable soils with sufficient moisture.

Black birch (Betula nigra)

A medium-sized tree, 5 to 12-15 m high, with an open, spreading, funnel-shaped crown. Large main branches grow at an acute angle, and the lateral ones are directed in an arcuate manner, drooping over time. The annual increase in height is 30-40 cm. The leaves are ovate, shiny, green, grayish on the underside, autumn color is light yellow.

Unusual red-brown or silver-gray black birch bark darkens with age, becoming black-brown. The upper layer of the bark leaves in curls and remains on the trunk, by this sign it is easy to identify this species.

Winter-hardy, shade-tolerant breed. Prefers damp places, but also grows well in soils with moderate moisture. Tolerates intermittent flooding.

Erman birch (Betula ermanii)

A tree about 15 m high sometimes forms several trunks, grows slowly. The crown is broadly spreading, loose, the shoots are warty. The leaves are sharply heart-shaped, dark green above, the underside is light, in autumn they change color early, becoming golden yellow or yellowish-orange.

The bark of this species is of interest; in young trees it is smooth, silvery gray or light orange. With age, it cracks, separates in thin strips and often hangs on the trunk and branches. The color of the bark becomes reddish-brown or yellow-gray.

In nature, the tree grows in the mountains, on scree (hence the name "stone"). The breed is frost-resistant, undemanding to the soil.

An interesting decorative effect on the site is created by birch trees with an unusually shaped crown - cascading, bushy or creeping.

Young birch (Betula pendula Youngii)

Attractive garden form with a picturesque, irregular, umbrella crown and drooping shoots that can hang down to the ground. A small tree 4-6 m high is characterized by slow growth, annual growth is 20-30 cm in height, 30 cm wide. The leaves are triangular, pointed, autumn color is yellow.

Light-loving, frost-resistant, undemanding tree suitable for small gardens due to its compact size.

Karelian pendulous birch (Betula pendula f.carelica)

Karelian birch is sometimes considered an independent species, but it is one of the forms of European silver birch. The famous wood of the Karelian birch has sinuous fibers that create a very beautiful pattern in products from it, but this feature does not matter in gardening. There are several types of growth of Karelian birch - from creeping to straight-stemmed. For gardens, a bush form 3-4 m high with winding trunks is suitable. Tall forms reach 15-18 m.

Winter-hardy, photophilous, drought-resistant, undemanding tree, effective in single planting and in groups.

Dwarf birch (Betula nana)

A unique, not at all similar to the usual birch, low shrub native to the arctic regions of Northern Europe and Western Siberia. The crown of dwarf birch is slightly raised or creeping, 0.5-1.2 m high and wide. Shoots with velvety pubescence, with brown bark, which later becomes black-gray. The leaves are small, up to 1.5 cm long, almost rounded, deeply incised. The autumn color of the leaves is very attractive - yellow-orange or light red.

The cultivation of birch slate requires special conditions, it requires slightly acidic or acidic peatlands. The plant is frost-resistant, has a short growing season, grows well at low temperatures, in the northern regions. It can be used in rocky gardens, groups, in combination with other shrubs.

Original in shape or non-standard color (regardless of the season) leaves make these birches a real decoration of the site.

Silver birch Laciniata (Betula pendula Laciniata)

A tree with a straight trunk 10-12 m high and 4-5 m wide, crown is oval, loose, openwork, with weeping shoots. The bark is white, thin, covered with grayish-black cracks in the lower part. Young shoots have brown bark.

Unusual, very beautiful, deeply incised, serrated leaves make this form decorative. In autumn they turn light yellow.

The garden form is characterized by slower growth than the main variety. The plant is photophilous, grows better on light, loamy or sandy loamy soils, does not tolerate close groundwater standing.

There is a similar garden form of drooping birch - Gracilis, which is distinguished by smaller, graceful leaves and a light, weeping crown shape.

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