Birches are easily recognised by their white, papery bark. The Silver birch has ‘drooping’ branches and triangular leaves, with jagged teeth that grow from hairless leaf stalks. The leaves of the similar Downy Birch grow from hairy stalks and more rounded; it also has more upright branches. What does a silver birch look like?
What distinguishes a silver birch tree from other birch trees?
The feature that distinguishes it from the rest of the birch trees is its flaking sliver/white bark. The silver birch tree is susceptible to the same problems as other birch tree species. The larvae of the birch leafminer burrows into the leaves of the silver birch tree looking for food.
How can you tell if a birch tree has flowers?
Flowers on male birch trees are 1.2” (3 cm) long, and the flowers on female trees are 0.4” to 0.8” (1 – 2 cm) long. The bark and leaf shape are the best ways to identify species of birch trees. You can recognize birch trees by their peeling bark that can be white, gray, or yellow.
What is wrong with my silver birch tree?
The silver birch tree is susceptible to the same problems as other birch tree species. The larvae of the birch leafminer burrows into the leaves of the silver birch tree looking for food. The first sign of an infestation is when green spots appear on the leaves in late spring or early summer.
What does a weeping silver birch tree look like?
The weeping silver birch is also called the ‘lady of the woods,’ ‘weeping birch,’ European white birch,’ ‘warty birch,’ and ‘lady birch.’ Silver birch tree leaves: Shiny green leaves are 2.5” (7 cm) long and have a distinct triangular shape with jaggy-looking edges.
What is the difference between birch and silver birch?
Not to be confused with: Silver birch (Betula pendula) and the two easily hybridise. Silver birch has hairless and warty shoots whereas downy birch shoots are covered in small, downy hairs. The bark of downy birch isn't as white and papery as silver birch.
How do you identify a birch tree?
You can recognize birch trees by their peeling bark that can be white, gray, or yellow. You will also notice horizontal diamond-shaped raised marks on the light-colored bark. Look at the leaves—birch leaves are typically triangular with jagged-looking edges.
Is white birch the same as silver birch?
Betula pendula, commonly known as silver birch, warty birch, European white birch, or East Asian white birch, is a species of tree in the family Betulaceae, native to Europe and parts of Asia, though in southern Europe, it is only found at higher altitudes.
How do I know if I have an aspen or birch?
Birch are famous for having bark that peels back like paper; aspen bark does not peel. Whereas aspen leaves are perfectly flat, birch leaves are slightly "V" shaped and more elongated than Quaking Aspen leaves.
Do all silver birch trees have catkins?
Silver birch has both male and female flowers (catkins) on the same tree. The male catkins are formed in the autumn and will remain on the tree all winter – only opening in April or May. The female catkins appear in spring with the new shoots.
What do silver birch leaves look like?
Silver birch is a striking deciduous tree. Light green leaves fade to yellow in autumn. Silver birch provides food and a habitat for countless insect species. Its leaves are small and triangular-shaped with a toothed edge.
Are there different types of silver birch?
Young's weeping birchOrnäs birchCurly birchBetula pendula f. bircalensisSilver birch/Lower classifications
Why are birch trees planted in threes?
Height. One possible reason people plant silver birches in groups of three is to reduce their height. In the wild, this tree can attain 100 feet, making it too tall for many backyards and gardens.
Is silver birch poisonous?
Betula pendula has no toxic effects reported.
Are aspen and silver birch the same?
Aspen has heart shaped leaves but birch has oval shaped leaves with tapering tips. Both trees leaves are a beautiful shade of green and in the fall they turn brilliant tones of yellow but are rarely red.
How do you tell the difference between birch and poplar?
Birch leaves tend to turn golden in the autumn, which can help you recognize the tree. These leaves are typically oval with a tapered end and smaller than the poplar leaves, which are rounded in most species and almost as wide as they are long.
Is poplar the same as aspen?
Quaking aspen has smaller heart-shaped to circular (orbicular) leaves with fine (serrate) teeth on the edges. Balsam poplar leaves are quite variable across its range but in general they are egg-shaped (ovate) or more narrowly spear-shaped (lanceolate) with very small teeth along the leaf margin.
What birch trees look like?
Most everyone has some recognition of the birch tree, a tree with light-colored white, yellow, or grayish bark that often separates into thin papery plates and is characteristically marked with long horizontal dark raised lines (also known as lenticils).
How do you tell the difference between birch and poplar?
Birch leaves tend to turn golden in the autumn, which can help you recognize the tree. These leaves are typically oval with a tapered end and smaller than the poplar leaves, which are rounded in most species and almost as wide as they are long.
Where are birch trees most common?
Native birches live in temperate or boreal climates across the northern part of North America. Paper birch (B. papyrifera), the white-barked tree used widely by trading native nations and Voyageurs, grows from Alaska to Maine, but only as far south as the mountains of Virginia, Tennessee and Oregon.
What is the difference between beech and birch?
Birch and beech are similar in appearance. Both are honey-colored or light brown with relatively straight grain, but beech has tighter and straighter patterns than birch. Birch is more likely to have larger swirls, which are often brown in color. Beech is more uniform without the wild swirls common to birch.
When do birches appear?
All North American birches have double-toothed leaves and are yellow and showy in the fall. Male catkins appear in late summer near the tips of small twigs or long shoots. The female cone-like catkins follow in the spring and bare small winged samaras that drop from that mature structure.
How tall does a birch tree grow?
Growing to 80 feet, its bark is dark in color, but unlike the dark river birch, the skin is relatively tight and smooth, with deep vertical scores. From a distance, the impression is of a smooth, silver bark marked by irregular vertical black lines.
What is the difference between birch and alder?
Alders, from the family Alnus, are very similar to the birch; the principal distinguishing feature is that alders have catkins that are woody and do not disintegrate in the way that birch catkins do. Birches also have bark that more readily layers into segments;
What family are birches in?
All birches fall into the general plant family of Betulaceae, which are closely related to the Fagaceae family, including beeches and oaks. The various birch species fall into the Betula genus, and there are several that are common North American trees in natural environments or used for landscape design purposes.
What is the largest birch tree?
Yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis): This tree is native to forests of the northeast U.S. and is also known as the swamp birch due to the fact that it is often found in marshy areas. It is the largest of the birches, easily growing to 100 feet in height. It has silvery-yellow bark that peels in very thin layers. Its bark does not have the thick layers seen in paper birches nor the very rough texture seen in river birches.
What is a birch tree?
Most everyone has some recognition of the birch tree, a tree with light-colored white, yellow, or grayish bark that often separates into thin papery plates and is characteristically marked with long horizontal dark raised lines ( also known as lenticils).
What is birch sap used for?
Interestingly, the sweet sap of the birch can be reduced into syrup and was once used as birch beer. The tree is valuable to wildlife species that depend on the catkins and seeds for food, and the trees are an important timber for woodworking and cabinetry.
What does birch bark look like?
Birch tree bark is usually whitish-gray, silver, or sometimes red. The bark on most birch trees has horizontal dark streaks that look like scoring (called lenticels). Birch tree bark is also well-known for its paper-like texture and peeling nature. The peeling bark on birch trees gives them ornamental value in wintertime.
What color are birch trees in the fall?
Autumn foliage of birch tree. Birch trees are deciduous trees that have stunning ornamental appeal in the fall. The leaves of birch trees turn from glossy green to magnificent shades of yellow in the fall. Birch tree fall colors can range from golden yellow to warm autumn hues of orange, bronze, and red.
Why is the Betula tree called the White Birch?
The paper birch tree was used to make canoes. That’s why the Betula papyrifera tree is also called the canoe birch tree. Its brilliant white bark is the reason it’s called the white birch.
How to tell if a birch tree is aspen or birch?
Another way to tell birch trees apart from aspen trees is by their leaves. Birch leaves tend to be triangular or spear-shaped with noticeable serrated margins.
Why is a sweet birch called a sweet birch?
The sweet birch tree gets its name from the scent of wintergreen in the twigs, bark, and leaves. The other common names of Betula lenta refer to other features of the tree. For example, ‘black birch’ due to its dark bark color. ‘Cherry birch’ and ‘mahogany birch’ because of the way the bark looks on mature birch trees. And ‘spice birch’ due to the aromatic wintergreen scent it emits.
Why is the paper birch tree called the white birch tree?
The paper birch tree has ornamental value in garden landscapes due to its golden fall color and thin, exfoliating, smooth pure white bark. Leaves are egg-shaped with irregularly toothed margins.
What is a clumping birch tree?
You’ll also find clumping birch trees with multiple trunks growing together from the ground. White birch trees are also ornamental trees suitable for residential landscapes. Birch wood is also prized for its density and strength. Wood from birch trees is used to make skateboards, plywood, and loudspeaker cabinets.
How big does a silver birch get?
It grows to 7 ft. tall and 3 ft. wide.
Why is my silver birch tree prone to erosion?
Not much grows beneath it because the weeping form blocks much of the light from under the tree. Slopes surrounding the area under the silver birch are prone to soil erosion due to lack of ground cover.
What color are the betula pendula leaves?
The weeping form atop the Betula Pendula trunk with stark white bark draws your eye when its foliage has dropped. The tree’s light yellow catkins hang lazily against its dark green leaves in the spring. These green leaves eventually turn a bright yellow in the fall, contrasting with the striking bark. There is not a season without a visual delight.
What type of soil does a betula pendula like?
Betula Pendula enjoy moist, well-drained sandy loams. Acidic soil is preferred, but it is a versatile tree and will adapt to many conditions.
Why isn't there much growth under birch trees?
Not much grows beneath it because the weeping form blocks much of the light from under the tree. Slopes surrounding the area under the silver birch are prone to soil erosion due to lack of ground cover. Finally, in some areas of the country, the silver birch is considered invasive .
What temperature do birches grow in?
The plant does best in cool climates where it does not get warmer than 75 o F and where snowy, wet winters are the norm. It grows in USDA Zones 2-7 . Birches do not thrive in the heat and humidity and will suffer in areas lower than zone 7.
Is silver birch good for humid areas?
There is not a season without a visual delight. However, there are some issues worth considering before planting a silver birch. As noted, the tree prefers cooler conditions, so it is not ideal for areas that suffer from high humidity and warm summers.
How tall is a silver birch tree?
Silver Birch Tree Problems. The silver birch, also known as the white birch, grows from 40 to 50 feet in height with a slender trunk that seldom exceeds a foot in diameter.
What is the problem with silver birch trees?
The spots change to unsightly brown patches. While the infestation in and of itself will not kill the tree, it does weaken it, making the tree susceptible to an attack by the bronze birch borer.
What causes brown spots on birch trees?
The fungus will appear as small, irregular, circular brown spots with a darker brown around the edges. The bronze birch borer can cause a great deal of damage. One attack will not do permanent damage, but successive infections stunt the growth and leave the tree open to other types of stress.
Why do birch trees defoliate?
In birch trees, it causes defoliation when there is unusual cool and wet weather just when the buds break out. One attack will not do permanent damage, but successive infections stunt the growth and leave the tree open to other types of stress.
What color is the bark of a tree?
The wood inside the tree will turn a yellow-brown in color and have a wetter-than-normal consistency. The wood under that bark will exhibit dark streaks in the wood from the current year.
Can birch borers cause damage?
The bronze birch borer can cause a great deal of damage.
Does a bronze birch borer kill a tree?
While the infestation in and of itself will not kill the tree, it does weaken it, making the tree susceptible to an attack by the bronze birch borer.
How long does it take for a silver birch to mature?
A silver birch attains maturity relatively early at 40 years -- compared to an oak that requires several hundred -- and soars about 100 feet into the sky at that point. Look at the bark of the silver birch. A very young birch has soft, red bark.
How to age a silver birch tree?
Count the rings of a fallen tree. Only use this approach to age a downed or dead silver birch. Using a saw with fine, sharp blades, cut through the stem about halfway up the tree. Do this twice, a few inches apart to obtain a slice. Look at the slice with a magnifying glass and count the rings. One ring is one year. The cleaner the cut, the more accurate the reading.
What color is birch bark?
A very young birch has soft, red bark. Over the course of several years, the bark turns increasingly white, until it achieves the silver-white hue that gives the species its name. As the tree approaches maturity, black marks or fissures appear on the white bark in arrow or diamond shapes. The darker the bark, the older the tree.
Why do witches hang brooms?
Witches reputedly fly brooms made of its branches and superstitious parents hang a bough over the cradle to protect baby from fairies. The silver birch, Betula pendula, is a fast-growing tree, not picky about location. These qualities make the tree a pioneer species, among the first trees to colonise a site.
What is the name of the slender birch?
The slender silver birch is known in Scottish folklore as the Lady of the Woods.
Do silver birches like hot or cold soil?
Silver birches prefer cool, moist soil and grow poorly on hot, dry soils. Select a moist planting location where your birch trees receive full sunshine on its leaves for much of the day. Often the east and north sides of a house works well. 00:00. 00:0112:45.
What is a Silver Birch?
Silver birch trees, Betula pendula, are a common fixture in the forests of the UK and North America that belong to the Betulaceae family (the same family as beeches).
Why is silver birch not shaded?
The Silver Birch is shade intolerant meaning that it demands an open space away from other trees or buildings where it will not be shaded out by direct sunlight during the warmer months of the year because these times are when it needs most light energy via photosynthesis for sustained growth and development.
How many branches does a silver birch tree grow?
Like many trees, when topping a silver birch tree by pruning the central leader (trunk), the tree will grow maybe 5 or 6 smaller branches from where the cut was made which can make the shape of the tree look a little odd and unnatural.
How deep does a silver birch tree spread?
The silver birch is a shallow-rooted tree with root systems that have been known to spread up to 10 metres. Although silver birch roots are not considered to be aggressive, they have been known to cause significant damage to lawns, patios, and other structures.
What to do if you see bats in a silver birch?
If you do see bats in your silver birch, it would be a good idea to arrange a bat survey.
Do silver birch roots grow?
Much like a tree trunk, roots will grow and thicken as the tree matures and due to the silver birch being so shallow rooted, it does not take much for them to show at the surface.
Can silver birch trees subside?
This soil shrinkage has the potential to destabilise and damage the foundations of structures around the tree which can ultimately cause subsidence to your property. Silver Birch roots in your lawn can be a real nuisance and lead to a bumpy and uneven surface.
The best way to kill a small Silver Birch tree
A small Betula Pendula is considered to be less than 10 feet tall. There are two methods you can use here.
The best way to kill a large Silver Birch tree
A large Betula Pendula will only grow to about 70-80 feet tall. The best method to use here would be girdling or in other words ringbarking.
Should you hire a professional tree removal service?
If your Betula Pendula is small, you can manage to kill it on your own. On the other hand, if the tree is big, it can get quite tricky. From killing trees to getting them cut down and transported, there are a lot of factors to consider, and hiring a professional will take care of most of these problems.
Frequently Asked Question
Yes, the preferred method for killing a Silver birch without cutting it down would be Basal Bark treatment when the tree is young and girdling when the tree is mature.
How to tell if birch tree is in trouble?
How To Tell If Your Birch Tree Is In Trouble. The first indication of a birch tree that’s infested with the bronze birch borer is yellowing, sparse foliage in the crown. If the infestation is severe, branches and twigs will be dead or dying.
Why are birch trees dying?
Birch trees have long been a particular favorite in the Pacific Northwest because of their unique white bark, plentiful shade and high tolerance for especially wet soil. Different species of the birch tree are common all over the state of Oregon, but for the last decade or so they have been dying in increasing numbers. The culprit? In many cases, it’s a destructive insect called the bronze birch borer.
What birch species are resistant to borer?
Birch Species That Resist The Bronze Borer. Your best bet is to choose either the Whitespire Birch (Betula platyphylla) or the River Birch (Betula nigra). The Whitespire is the only birch with white bark that is resistant to the borer, and while the River Birch lacks the white bark sought by many, its cinnamon-colored bark exfoliates ...
Is it too late to get rid of bronze birch borer?
If you can easily see signs of the bronze birch borer and your tree is starting to die, it’s probably too late. Once about 30 percent of the tree has died, it is very unlikely that it will recover and treatment can be expensive.
