Birch tree
Birches are distinguished by their splendid bark. It is often “papery” in texture, leading to the name of one of the best-loved species of birch. The bark is also distinct in color, ranging from white to salmon to purple, an is especially attractive against stark winter backgrounds or the backdrop of evergreen trees. Relatively short-lived trees (from 80 to 140 years) and generally of medium size, birches are emblematic of the northern woods of the United States, though native birches can be found in nearly every state. Fifteen birch species are found, mostly in the nation’s cooler regions.
Birch
The birch has long held an honored place in American life and history. Whether it inspires images of birch-bark canoes, or lets basketball fans thrill to a game played on a birch-wood court, this is a tree of great value and beauty.
Birches are distinguished by their splendid bark. It is often “papery” in texture, leading to the name of one of the best-loved species of birch. The bark is also distinct in color, ranging from white to salmon to purple, an is especially attractive against stark winter backgrounds or the backdrop of evergreen trees. Relatively short-lived trees (from 80 to 140 years) and generally of medium size, birches are emblematic of the northern woods of the United States, though native birches can be found in nearly every state. Fifteen birch species are found, mostly in the nation’s cooler regions.
The Birch’s Place in History
From canoe skins and utensils used by Native Americans to scenes of striking sylvan beauty, the birch has long been loved by Americans. This fascination can be seen in the poetry of two very different ages. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote in “The Song of Hiawatha”: “Give me of your bark, O Birch-tree! Of your yellow bark, O birch tree! I a light canoe will build me / That shall float upon the river.” And many years later, Robert Frost was to write in his poem “Birches”: “I’d like to go by climbing a birch tree, / And climb black branches up a snow-white trunk / Toward heaven… One could do worse than be a swinger of birches.”
Some Common Species
Paper birch ( Betula papyrifera ) is also known as canoe or white birch. Its strikingly white bark is a powerful symbol of America’s northern woods, its vibrant yellow fall leaves a sure sign of autumn. This lovely tree was the choice of early Native Americans for the skins of their canoes. The wood of the paper birch was used for eating utensils and other common tools, and today the wood is prized for high quality lumber and veneer, pulp, and fiberboard products. This hardy tree blankets most of Alaska and extends into the northern states from Washington to Maine and throughout the Lake States, the north central states, New York, and northern Pennsylvania. (Grows in hardiness zones 2 to 7.)
The river birch ( Betula nigra ) is named for its love of wet places, being native in wet sites from Minnesota and New Hampshire to Florida and Texas. In fact, the natural habitat of river birch extends from the eastern United States as far west as central Oklahoma. This graceful tree is also loved for its bright fall color, its copperish, two-toned bark, and the year-round beauty it brings to any suitable landscape. (Grows in hardiness zones 4 to 9.)
Betula
Species
- European White Birch
- Paper Birch
- Red Birch
- River Birch
- Water Birch
birch
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
Please select which sections you would like to print:
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
Encyclopaedia Britannica’s editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
birch, (genus Betula), genus of about 40 species of short-lived ornamental and timber trees and shrubs of the family Betulaceae, distributed throughout cool regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
Physical description
A birch has smooth, resinous, varicoloured or white bark, marked by horizontal pores (lenticels), which usually peels horizontally in thin sheets, especially on young trees. On older trunks the thick, deeply furrowed bark breaks into irregular plates. Short, slender branches rise to a narrow pyramidal crown on a young tree; they become horizontal, often pendulous, on an older tree. The egg-shaped or triangular, usually pointed leaves have toothed margins; they are alternately arranged on the branchlets. They are usually bright green, turning yellow in autumn. The drooping male catkins flower before the leaves emerge; smaller, upright female catkins on the same tree develop in conelike clusters, which disintegrate at maturity, releasing tiny, one-seeded, winged nutlets.
Major species
Birch species often have two or more common names, and a single common name may be applied to a number of different species. For example, the European white birch is usually called silver birch in England, but the latter name is also sometimes given to paper birch and to yellow birch. For clarity, the taxonomic name should be used in conjunction with the common name.
Gray birch (Betula populifolia), paper birch (B. papyrifera), river birch (B. nigra), sweet birch (B. lenta), yellow birch (B. alleghaniensis), and various species of white birch (notably B. pendula and B. pubescens) are the best known.
The Japanese monarch birch (B. maximowicziana) is a valuable timber tree of Japan, especially in the plywood industry. Usually 30 metres (100 feet) high, with flaking gray or orange-gray bark, it has heart-shaped leaves about 15 cm (6 inches) long and is a hardy ornamental. The similar Japanese cherry birch (B. grossa) also produces useful timber.
Water birch (B. occidentalis), a shrubby tree native to moist sites along the western coast of North America, has nonpeeling dark red bark; it grows in clusters, with all stems rising from a common root system. It is sometimes called red birch, black birch, or mountain birch. Swamp birch (B. pumila), a similar but smaller shrub, is found on boggy sites; it may be erect or trailing and matted. Bog birch (B. glandulosa) of North America, also called tundra dwarf birch or resin birch, and dwarf birch, or dwarf Arctic birch (B. nana), native to most far northern areas of the world, are small alpine and tundra shrubs commonly known as ground birch. Both species have almost circular leaves, are food sources for birds and grazing animals, and may be planted as ornamentals. Several Chinese birches and the Asian white birch (B. platyphylla) are sometimes used ornamentally. A few natural hybrids between trees and shrubs of the genus Betula are cultivated as ornamentals in Europe and North America.
Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content.
Ivory birch (Baloghia inophylla, family Euphorbiaceae) and West Indian birch, also known as gumbo-limbo (Bursera simaruba, family Burseraceae), are not true birches.
Uses
Birches were among the first trees to become established after the glaciers receded. Hardy, quick growing, and relatively immune to disease and insect attack, they are valuable in reforestation and erosion control and as protective cover, or nurse trees, for development of more permanent plants. Most require moist, sandy, and loamy soil; they are usually propagated by seeding or grafting. Many ornamental varieties are cultivated for their leaf colour, leaf shape, or growth habit.
Pale to red-brown birchwood is used for flooring, furniture, cabinetry, interior finishing, vehicle parts, plywood, pulp, and turnery. The thin water-impervious bark provided roofing, canoes, and shoes for North American Indians and early settlers. Sweet birch (B. lenta) is the source of birch oil and has been used to make birch beer, an effervescent beverage somewhat similar to root beer. Hikers and other outdoor enthusiasts can rely on the ability of yellow and paper birch bark to burn even when wet.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Melissa Petruzzello.