Betula nigra - Birch

Betula nigra or Black Birch is a very hardy, deciduous tree, often with multiple trunks, native to the plains and marshes of the eastern United States. It is decorative all year round with its highly textured bark, initially reddish-brown turning black or grey-white, fissured and peeling off in strips that curl up, revealing a smooth, grey-orange trunk! Fast-growing and medium sized, it has an airy, rounded habit and twisted, irregular, slightly weeping branches that look wonderful when planted alone or in groups in large spaces. Its light, glossy deep green foliage quickly emerges and turns golden yellow, illuminating autumn days. Thriving in wet environments, it flourishes in sun or partial shade and in soil that is moist to dry, neutral to acid.

The Black birch, or Betula nigra, is a deciduous tree native to warm regions in the southeastern United States. In nature, it is found along rivers and swamps, although it can tolerate much drier conditions. It is also known as the "River birch".

It is a medium-sized tree, reaching 15 m (49 ft 2 in) in height and 10 m (32 ft 10 in) in spread at maturity, growing rapidly, often from multiple trunks. Its is naturally rounded and erratic. It develops an elegant, twisted and irregular framework with unevenly arranged branches that divide into slender, slightly weeping branches. The trunks of juvenile specimens are reddish-brown, until a quite advanced age. The bark of old trees, which is dark brown or grey-white, is deeply furrowed at the base and peels off in large strips, revealing a new, much lighter, grey-orange bark. The young branches are reddish-brown and dotted with dark lenticels. Its shiny, deep green, deciduous foliage, hairy on the underside, 8 cm (3.1 in) wide, is diamond-shaped with doubly toothed margins. The leaves appear early in the year, forming a semi-open, light canopy that turns golden-yellow in autumn. In April, it produces masses of yellow-brown, pendulous, male catkin-like flowers reaching up to 8 cm (3.1 in) in length

The black birch is a fairly tolerant plant when it comes to soil, as long as it is not too dry or chalky. It thrives in partial shade, and its slender form and moderate size make it a great addition to medium-sized gardens. As a street tree, it can also be planted in small groups of 3 specimens or placed in the centre of a bed, surrounded by ground-cover perennials such as lungworts, Trachystemon orientalis, or a carpet of wood anemones. It lends itself to superb combinations with other plants that are particularly striking in winter, such as Cornus with its multicoloured-bark, or fragrant, winter-flowering Hamamelis and Sarcococca. Its autumn foliage can be combined with that of Nyssa sylvatica in boggy soil or at the edge of a pond, or with that of deciduous viburnums or Parrotia persica in drier soil.