Betula alba
Downy birch · also Moor birch, White birch, European white birch
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Betula alba, also known as downy birch, is a deciduous tree native to northern Europe and Asia. It is a pioneer species that readily colonizes cleared land and thrives in wetter areas with heavier, poorly drained soils. The tree is known for its white bark and provides food for moth larvae and supports various fungi.
Where it grows
Trees in each city's inventory, with the share of that city's named trees this species accounts for.
- 3980.08%28 yr4.5 in
- 260.00%—1.7 in
Traits
- Form
- Broadleaf
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Soil
- Heavy soils, Poor drainage
- Water needs
- High
Trunk diameters across every city: median 4.5 in, mean 3.6 in, 90th percentile 9.0 in. Measured at breast height, as published by each inventory.
Native range
Terrestrial ecoregions where this species is native. Trees in the dataset mostly stand well outside it.
Temperate Broadleaf & Mixed Forests
- Baltic mixed forests
- Central European mixed forests
- East European forest steppe
- European Atlantic mixed forests
- Western European broadleaf forests
Other Betula in the catalogue
20 of the top 2,000 species are in this genus.
