
Betula nigra 'Heritage' (River Birch) Unity Grown
- Low stock - 7 items left
- Inventory on the way
The 'Heritage' cultivar of Betula nigra, commonly called river birch, is a fast-growing, medium-sized, tree prized for its unique, colorful, exfoliating bark and its fast growth rate up to a mature height of 40-60' tall and about as wide. Betula nigra 'Heritage' improves upon the straight species even more aesthetically pleasing bark, which ranges in shade from brown and gray to salmon pink or creamy white. In addition to its aesthetic value, the 'Heritage' cultivar also provides this river birch with extra protection from common pest insects like the bronze birch borer (Agrilus anxius), as well as from various leaf spot diseases.
Betula nigra 'Heritage' is an adaptable cultivar that thrives in wet conditions on river banks, in floodplains, and in marshy areas, but these trees are also highly heat and drought tolerant once established. River birch are ecologically valuable, functioning as a food source and shelter for a wide variety of different animals, including birds, small mammals, and a numeber of larval moth and butterfly species. Suckering growth can cause river birch to become somewhat weedy over time, but this also makes for excellent large borders and easy naturalization in woodland gardens or forest edges.