River Birch

Betula nigra

Deciduous Tree

About River Birch

River Birch is a heat-tolerant, native birch that thrives in the warm southeastern United States where other birches struggle. It is prized for its attractive, peeling, cinnamon to salmon-pink bark and its resistance to bronze birch borer. It is commonly planted as a multi-stemmed specimen tree.

Quick Facts

Native Range

Eastern United States

Hardiness Zones

4-9

Mature Height

40-70 feet

Growth Rate

Fast

Sun Requirements

Full sun to partial shade

Soil Preference

Moist, acidic, well-drained soils; tolerates wet conditions

How to Identify River Birch

Exfoliating bark in shades of salmon, cinnamon, and creamy white
Doubly serrated, diamond-shaped to triangular leaves
Often planted as multi-stemmed clumps
Small, cylindrical seed catkins
Pyramidal when young, becoming more rounded and spreading with age

Care Guide

Water generously; river birch prefers consistently moist soil
Prune in summer to avoid heavy sap bleeding (not in spring)
Chlorosis may occur in alkaline soils; treat with iron supplements
Leaf drop in summer is common during drought and usually not harmful
Mulch to maintain soil moisture and keep roots cool

Known Issues (1)

Bronze Birch Borer

HIGH

Insect

A native North American wood-boring beetle that attacks birch trees, especially paper birch and European white birch in landscape settings. Larvae feed under the bark in a serpentine pattern, disrupting nutrient and water transport. Dieback starts at the top of the crown and progresses downward, the opposite pattern of many other pests.

Affecting 26 regions

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Related Ailments

bladder wrackOTHER Knotted WrackOTHER Feather Boa KelpOTHER Sea PalmOTHER

Related Plants

Paper BirchBetula papyrifera

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