Woody > Betula > Betula occidentalis > Betula occidentalis
Betula occidentalis
Water Birch
Origin: Native to western North America, in Canada from the Yukon east to western Ontario and southwards.
Mike's
Opinion
"
It can be found along riverbanks, streamsides and edges in the wild. A relative of the popular Paper Birch, Water Birch has shiny, reddish bark. Its multiple stems and glossy leaves grow quickly to provide an attractive specimen tree or a screen for a pond or creek. Green catkins appear in the spring, and brown conelike catkins that hold the mature seeds ripen in the autumn.
Michael Pascoe, NDP., ODH., CLT., MSc. (Plant Conservation)
"
| Family |
| Betulaceae |
| Genus |
| Betula |
| Species |
| occidentalis |
| Category |
| Woody |
| Type |
| Shrub (deciduous) |
| Pronunciation |
| USDA Hardiness Zone |
| 4 - 6 |
| Canadian Hardiness Zone |
| 2a - 6a |
| RHS Hardiness Zone |
| H7 - H6 |
| Temperature (°C) |
| (-32) - (-18)C |
| Temperature (°F) |
| (-25) - 0 |
| Height |
| 6-10 m |
| Spread |
| 6-9 m |
Photographs
Cultivars
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Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
| General Description |
| It is a deciduous shrub or small tree growing to 10 m high, usually with multiple trunks. The bark is dark red-brown to blackish, and smooth but not exfoliating. This species has been placed on the IUCN Red List as least concern. |
| Shape |
| The water birch is a small coarse shrub with several spreading trunks. |
| Growth |
| Medium |
| ID Characteristic |
| Known for its shrubby form often with several spreading trunks. |
| Pests |
| No serious pests. |
| Bark/Stem Description |
| Thin and smooth, but dotted with conspicuous lenticles, almost black when young, but turning reddish-brown to copper-coloured as it ages. Older bark may loosen and curl, but does not exfoliate. |
| Flower/Leaf Bud Description |
| Buds are small, red-brown, and very resinous. |
| Leaf Description |
| The leaves are alternate, oval to rhombic, 1–7 cm long and 1-4.5 cm broad, with a serrated margin and two to six pairs of veins. |
| Flower Description |
| Small (about 2.5 cm long), cylindrical, cone-like structures (catkins or aments). Between the scales of this "cone" grow the seeds that are tiny nutlets. As the "cone" ripens, the entire structure disintegrates, and the seeds are dropped. |
| Fruit Description |
| Tiny, hairy nutlets with wings broader than the seed. Thousands of seeds are produced from each tree. |
| Colour Description |
| Flower colour yellow. The leaves are shiny and dotted with fine glands underneath. |
| Texture Description |
| The bark is smooth, red brown, twigs have a warty texture due to numerous resin glands. |
| Propagation |
| It has a slow ability to spread through seed production and the seedlings have medium vigor. |
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