# River birch (Betula nigra)

> A fast-growing, usually multi-trunked tree (30-70 feet) with cinnamon-colored bark that peels in papery curls, the only birch that thrives in the hot, humid South. It needs steady moisture and acidic soil, so it is a natural along creeks and in rain gardens but suffers on Austin's dry, alkaline limestone, where it often turns yellow and declines.

Source: https://treerm.org/trees/betula-nigra · Updated 2026-11-08 · License CC BY 4.0

## Facts

- Also called: Red birch, Water birch
- Family: Betulaceae
- Type: Broadleaf, drops leaves
- Mature height: 15 m; spread 12 m
- Growth: Fast growing
- USDA hardiness zones: 4 to 9
- Light: Sun or part shade
- Water: Likes water
- Soil: Moist, acidic, well-drained loam; tolerates flooding; develops iron chlorosis on high-pH limestone soils
- Native range: Eastern United States from New England to Florida, west to Minnesota and east Texas

**Benefits:** Fast canopy, Holds soil, Flood tolerant, Wildlife, Birds, Fall color

**Good for:** Streambanks, Yard shade, parks

**Watch out for:** Heavy litter, Pest prone

## Care

Keep the soil consistently moist with soaker hoses and mulch, especially in summer. Prune only in summer after the sap stops flowing, never in late winter. Expect lots of small twig drop and some leaf shedding in drought. Resistant to bronze birch borer; aphids and leaf miners are minor. Treat chlorosis with iron if soil is alkaline, or choose a different tree.

## Where it stands

- **Native:** United States (Also native in: CT, DC, DE, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, VA, VT, WI, WV (USDA PLANTS distribution)); AL, United States; AR, United States; FL, United States; GA, United States; LA, United States; MS, United States; NC, United States; OK, United States; SC, United States; TN, United States; TX, United States (Native to east Texas river bottoms; poorly suited to Central Texas alkaline soils)
- **Recommended:** Sacramento, CA, United States (On the Sacramento Tree Foundation Shady 80 recommended trees list); Washington, DC, United States (On the Casey Trees Tree Rebate eligible species list); Atlanta, GA, United States (On the Trees Atlanta Top 50 Atlanta Trees list); Dallas, TX, United States (On the City of Dallas Article X Approved Tree List)

## Sources

- https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/BENI
- https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=BENI
- https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/betula-nigra/