Tree Description
River birches are usually medium-sized trees growing to 40 feet tall with one or more trunks 8” to 12” in diameter. However, some may grow as tall as 90 feet. They have an oval crown of drooping branches, and their trunks are wrapped with peeling sheets of papery bark.
Range / Site Description
These trees occur in East Texas, usually on rich soils along stream banks or at the edge of swamps, ponds, lakes, or other wet areas.
Leaf
The leaves are simple and alternate, 2” to 3 ½” long and 1” to 2” wide, either ovate or somewhat triangular-shaped with a wedge-shaped base. The leaf margins are double-toothed. The upper surface of the leaf is dark green and shiny, and the lower surface is paler and pubescent.
Flower & Fruit
Male and female flowers are borne separately on the same tree in early spring. Male catkins, 1” to 3 ½” long, grow at the ends of twigs, drooping and brown in color. Smaller female catkins, ½” long, are borne in the leaf axils, upright and greenish in color.
The fruit is in a cylindrical cone, about 1” long, that is densely crowded with tiny winged nutlets that ripen from May to June.
Interesting Facts
The birch genus (Betula) has several U.S. species with colorful common names: gray (B. populifolia), white or paper (B. papyrifera), black (B. lenta), yellow (B. alleghaniensis), and red or river (B. nigra).
Species Summary
| Scientific Name: | Betula nigra |
| Secondary Names: | Red Birch |
| Tree Type: | Deciduous |
| Dimensions: | Height: 40 feet Trunk Diameter: 8 to 12 inches |
| Leaf Structure: | Simple, alternate |
| Leaf Size: | 2-3½ inches long and 1-2 inches wide |
| Leaf Shape: | Ovate or triangular |
| Leaf Margin: | Double-toothed |
| Additional Information: | iNaturalist – River Birch |
Source: Texas A&M Forest Service Trees of Texas – River Birch