Habitat

• native to Europe and Northern Asia
• most common in high elevations
• zone 2

Habit and Form

• a deciduous tree up to 100' in native areas
• cultivated plants generally 40' to 60' tall and 20' to 40' wide
• pyramidal when young
• oval, pyramidal when mature
• generally somewhat pendulous branches at all ages, but main trunk is upright
• fine twigs

Summer Foliage

• alternate, simple leaves, 1" to 3" long by 0.75" to 1.5" wide
• tapered apex, wedge-shaped base, doubly serrate margins
• leaf surfaces dotted with glands; lack pubescence
• dark green color

Autumn Foliage

• yellow or yellow-green
• good fall coloration not as dependable as far as some other birches, although often good
• leaves held late into fall for a birch

Flowers

• blooms in April, but catkins visible before than
• monoecious:
  • male catkins in mostly twos, but singly or in three's; 1.5" to 3.5" long
  • female catkins 0.75" to 1.25" long

Fruit

• small nutlets held in cylindrical catkins

Bark

• young twigs quite warty and brown in color
• larger branches display showy, bright white bark
• bark on the main trunk is white with prominent black vertical fissures; very showy
• bark does not exfoliate

Culture

• easy to grow
• does not appreciate excessive summer heat
• soil adaptable
• needs a moist soil for good growth
• avoid pruning from February through July to prevent bleeding
• best in full sun

Landscape Use

• casts light shade, good lawn tree
• specimen
• for showy bark
• near a deck or patio
• commonly used in the Northeast
• very beautiful tree despite liabilities

Liabilities

• bronze birch borer is a serious problem
• one of the most sensitive birches to bronze birch borer
• can suffer ice and snow damage
• not heat or drought tolerant
• can be short-lived

ID Features

• wary twigs
• leaf surfaces dotted with glands
• white bark with vertical black fissures on main trunk
• pendulous twigs
• male catkins in 2's, 3's, or singly
• non-exfoliating bark

Propagation

• easy from seed following stratification
• cultivars grafted on seedlings

Cultivars/Varieties

'Dalecarlica' and 'Laciniata' - Both have deeply cut and pendulous leaves, pendulous branches and an overall upright growth form. 'Dalecarlica' leaves are 3" long, while 'Laciniata' has leaves 2" long. 'Laciniata' leaves are less deeply cut than 'Dalecarlica' leaves.

'Fastigiata' - Tree is columnar with erect branching. 'Obelisk' is similar.

'Golden Cloud' - An English selection bearing yellow leaves all season (in Europe). Color will probably turn green in warm, humid U.S. climates.

purpurea - Leaves are deeply reddish-purple in spring, but the color "greens up" as the season progresses. Most purple-leaved B. pendula seems to be less vigorous than the green-leaved forms and are very susceptible to bronze birch borer.

'Purple Splendor', 'Monte' (Purple Rain™), and 'Scarlet Glory' - Named selections of the variety purpurea. Purple- leaved forms are best used as specimens, as the early purple leaves and white bark can be a striking contrast.