| Name |
Ornamental
- Betula Pendula - Weeping Birch |
| Cultivation |
Light: Grow this white birch in full sun to partial shade.
Moisture: It likes a moist, but well drained soil.
Hardiness: hardy in Britain and Ireland. |
| Family |
Betulaceae
(Birch Family) |
| Genus |
Betula
pendula Roth |
| Synonyms |
silver
birch |
| Known
Hazards |
|
| Range |
Betula
pendula, the European white birch, is a native of Europe, Russia and western
Siberia, and has been widely planted across the northern United States and
in Canada and Europe. |
| Height |
It
gets up to 50 ft tall and a foot (30 cm) in diameter. |
| Habitat |
Light:
Grow this white birch in full sun to partial shade.
Moisture: It likes a moist, but well drained soil. |
| Characteristics |
The
graceful, short-lived European white birch is grown as a specimen for its
attractive papery white bark, drooping (in some cultivars) branches, handsome
male catkins, and autumn color. European white birch is a slender tree with
a pyramid shaped or spreading crown of long, drooping branches. It gets
up to 50 ft tall and a foot (30 cm) in diameter. The bark is white and flaky
and often peels into papery strips like its close relative, paper birch
(Betula papyrifera). The leaves of European white birch are pale green and
triangular and doubly saw toothed on the edges. They turn yellow in autumn.
Male and female flowers are in catkins on the same tree. The male catkins
hang down and are about 2 in long. They are quite attractive. Female catkins
are smaller and erect at first. The species is seldom cultivated, but there
are numerous cultivars available. Some are dwarf; some weeping; some fastigiate
(erect branches); some have foliage in dense hanging clusters, like "witches's
brooms"; some have yellow leaves; others have purplish bark and purple
leaves. This tree has outstanding ornamental features and should be featured
more in gardens. |
| Edible
Uses |
None
Known |
| Medicinal
Uses |
None
Known |
| Other
Uses |
It
will cast a light shade and is considered to be a good lawn tree. |
| Propagation |
Start
new plants from seeds sown outdoors in autumn. If you want your new plants
to be like the parent, you must propagate vegetatively. Start cuttings from
young green shoots in spring. Alternatively, graft buds of cultivars to
seedlings in winter. |
| Cultivars |
Cultivars
of the European white birch are commonly grown as ornamentals in the northern
United States and Canada. They are suitable for smaller landscapes as single
specimens or in small groupings. |