European white birch
Betula pendula · Betulaceae
European white birch (Betula pendula) is a perennial tree in the Betulaceae family. It is introduced to North America rather than native. USDA records it as hardy in zone 3 and warmer, down to about -33°F.
At a glance
| Type | tree USDA |
|---|---|
| Lifecycle | perennial USDA |
| Native status | introduced USDA |
| Mature height | 60 ft USDA |
| Light | full-sun USDA |
| Water need | high USDA |
| Growth rate | rapid USDA |
| Soil pH | 5–7.5 USDA |
| Bloom | April–May USDA |
| Flower color | Brown USDA |
| Hardiness zones | 3 and warmer USDA |
| Guild layer | canopy Derived |
| Nursery availability | Routinely Available USDA |
USDA quoted from the USDA PLANTS database · Derived computed by a fixed rule from those columns. No value on this page is estimated.
Growing conditions
It needs full sun. USDA rates it as having needs consistently moist ground. Its drought tolerance is rated low. It will not tolerate waterlogged soil — USDA rates its anaerobic tolerance as none. It is recorded on soils from pH 5 to 7.5 — a broad range that spans acidic through mildly alkaline ground. Its cold limit is zone 3.
Size and growth
At maturity it reaches about 60 ft, making it a large tree that will dominate its site. It grows quickly.
Bloom period
USDA records a bloom period of April through May. Flowers are brown.
A flowering date, not a pollinator rating.
Foliage, flower and season
Summer foliage is green, fine in texture. Its flowers are conspicuous. It carries conspicuous autumn colour. Its active growth period is spring and summer. USDA rates its lifespan as short, so plan on replacing or resowing it rather than treating it as permanent structure.
What the site needs to provide
USDA records it across sites receiving 30 to 55 inches of annual precipitation. It needs at least 90 frost-free days to finish its season. It roots to at least 24 inches. Fertility requirement: medium.
Propagating it
It takes readily from seed, cuttings, bare root and container stock. USDA records no cold-stratification requirement, so seed should germinate without a chilling period. Its seed spreads at a slow rate. It does not spread vegetatively, so it will stay where you put it.
Resilience and wildlife
Browsing animals rate it barely palatable — the sourced basis for calling it deer-resistant. It can resprout after its top growth is damaged, so it tolerates being cut back hard. Its growth form is recorded as thicket forming.
Role in a guild
Canopy. In a layered planting this is the tallest layer of a planting — it sets the light budget everything beneath it lives on. The layer is derived by a fixed rule from growth habit and mature height.
Tags
Related plants
Others in Betula
- yellow birch Betula alleghaniensis
- sweet birch Betula lenta
- dwarf birch Betula nana
- river birch Betula nigra
Similar role and hardiness
- Norway maple Acer platanoides
- Ohio buckeye Aesculus glabra
- Kentucky yellowwood Cladrastis kentukea
- white ash Fraxinus americana
- Chinese juniper Juniperus chinensis
Where this data comes from
Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol BEPE3, or is computed from those values by a fixed rule. Nothing here is estimated or model-generated. Where USDA publishes no value, this page omits the claim rather than filling the gap.
- Quoted from USDA PLANTS: active growth period, Bloom, Bloom end, browse palatability, cold stratification, Drought tolerance, fall conspicuous, fertility requirement, Flower color, flower conspicuous, foliage color, foliage porosity winter, foliage texture, frost free days min, fruit conspicuous, growth form, Growth rate, Hardiness zones, Lifecycle, lifespan, Light, Mature height, Minimum temperature, Native status, Nitrogen fixation, Nursery availability, precipitation max in, precipitation min in, propagation, resprout ability, root depth in, seed spread rate, Soil pH, Soil pH (upper), Tolerance of wet soil, Toxicity, Type, vegetative spread rate, Water need.
- Derived by a fixed rule from those columns: Guild layer.
Read our full data sources and methodology.
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