Betula nigra (River Birch) Unity Grown

Betula nigra, commonly known as river birch, is a suckering, fast-growing, medium-sized native tree that occurs in floodplains, along streams and riverbanks, and in other wet or swampy areas across much of the eastern half of the US. A valuable species for erosion control when placed along river banks, Betula nigra is also a host plant for many types of butterfly and moth, and after small catkin-type flowers emerge in spring, numerous small seeds are produced, which leads to a fair amount of reseeding. Besides the ability to rapidly re-seed an area, birch seeds are also the favorite snack for a variety of smaller mammals and birds; deer and other larger mammals will also often browse young branches. 

Equally valuable as an ecological addition and an ornamental one, river birch features salmon-pink exfoliating bark with glossy, medium to dark green leaves which turn a striking yellow shade in the fall. Once established, Betula nigra can grow 2-3' per year to a mature size of 40-70' tall and slightly more narrow. Common as massed street trees or for naturalizing in forests and near creeks and ponds, river birch is a reliable tree selection for a number of landscape types.

Our river birches are available in both multi-stemmed and single-stemmed selections: the multi-stemmed variant produces a shrubby, irregular crown and a more ecologically valuable form of the species which tends to be more toward the shorter end of the spectrum, while the single-stemmed form develops a pyramidal habit when young and matures into a more rounded shape, making it ideal for use as a shade or specimen tree towards the taller end of the height limit.