Scientific Name:
Betula lenta
Pronunciation:
BET-you-luh LEN-tuh
Common Name:
cherry birch, sweet birch, black birch
Family Name:
Betulaceae
Plant Type:
Tree - deciduous
Key ID Features:
Bark non-exfoliating dark with wide, cherry-like lenticels (horizontal and wide), smooth and dark reddish-brown when young, becoming dark gray and scaly with age; leaves elliptical to ovate, 5-10cm long x 4-8cm wide, margins finely single toothed or irregularly double toothed. Winter ID: bark; twigs smooth, zig-zag, reddish with strong wintergreen smell; lateral buds conical, 5-8mm long glabrous, diverging from twigs; immature male catkins.
Habit:
Upright
Form:
Pyramidal - widely
Texture:
Medium
Mature Height:
10 - 15m
Mature Spread:
10 - 15m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
Canada - eastern, U.S. - northeast
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 3: (-40 to -34 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun, Part sun/part shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Rocky or gravelly or dry, Well-drained
Landscape Uses:
Erosion control, Forestry, Shade tree, Woodland margin
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible, Pinnate venation
Surfaces:
Pubescent
Colour in Summer:
Green, Green-yellow
Colour in Fall:
Yellow
Shapes:
Elliptic, Ovate
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Oblique (uneven), Rounded
Margins:
Double serrate, Serrulate
Additional Info:
Spectacular fall colour, to 10cm long; aromatic shoots
Inflorescence Type:
Catkin (ament)
Flower Morphology:
Monoecious plant
Number Of Petals:
0
Colour (petals):
Yellow, Brown
Flower Time at Peak:
Mar, Apr
Additional Info:
Make catkins pendulous, to 8cm long, female catkins erect, 3-6cm long with glabrous scales 5-7mm long.
Fruit Type:
Samara
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
May, Jun
Additional Info:
Not showy, Female catkin release many tiny samaras
Bark Morphology:
Plated, Moderately fissured
Bark or Stem Colour:
Dark Grey, Red, Dark brown
Additional Info:
dark red, becoming gray and scaly
Leaf Bud Type:
Conical (long-pointed)
Leaf Scar Shape:
Crescent shaped
Organ Modifications:
Ectomycorrhizae
Pest Susceptibility:
Aphids or adelgids, Canker or sap rot, Caterpillar or cutworm, Leaf miner insect, Rust, Stem borer insects
Specific Pests:
Low susceptibility to bronze birch borer
