Betula nigra
River birch · also Black birch, Water birch, Red birch
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Betula nigra, also known as River Birch, is native to the Eastern United States and is one of the few heat-tolerant birches. It features distinctive peeling bark ranging from cream to cinnamon, and a rounded form at maturity. This species thrives in wet conditions like floodplains and swamps, making it ideal for rain gardens and providing excellent shade in urban landscapes.
Where it grows
Trees in each city's inventory, with the share of that city's named trees this species accounts for.
- 2,1661.1%5.8 yr4.5 in
- 1,4030.42%4.3 yr2.0 in
- 1,2900.11%—2.3 in
- 8210.29%34 yr9.8 in
- 7760.11%—7.0 in
- 7440.64%7.5 yr7.0 in
- 5470.20%—3.1 in
- 4280.06%—3.1 in
- 3260.21%3.9 yr2.0 in
- 2740.37%3.8 yr2.0 in
- 2480.33%8.8 yr4.7 in
- 2482.1%7.8 yr5.0 in
- 1280.04%—3.0 in
- 1150.33%—2.0 in
- 1090.06%—4.0 in
- 880.02%—3.5 in
- 830.02%5.3 yr2.4 in
- 700.03%—7.5 in
- 520.33%4.0 yr2.4 in
- 500.01%—5.5 in
- 290.03%—2.8 in
- 270.06%—2.0 in
- 140.00%36 yr7.5 in
- 100.00%54 yr11 in
- 70.01%—4.0 in
- 70.01%5.8 yr2.0 in
- 60.01%48 yr—
- 50.04%—7.9 in
- 30.01%—2.0 in
Traits
- Form
- Broadleaf
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Mature height
- 50–90 ft
- Canopy spread
- 40–60 ft
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Wildlife value
- Moderate
Trunk diameters across every city: median 3.0 in, mean 5.2 in, 90th percentile 11 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
- East Central Texas forests
- Mississippi lowland forests
- New England-Acadian forests
Other Betula in the catalogue
20 of the top 2,000 species are in this genus.
