Betula pendula Crispa - Birch

Betula pendula 'Crispa', discovered in southern Sweden in 1967, is a very beautiful form of the weeping birch. Elegant with its narrow and slender habit, it has finely laciniate foliage; the majestic, somewhat ghostly shape, has almost transparent curtains of leaves. Growing on a straight trunk, very white when young and darkening with age, it is a beautiful specimen on a lawn.

Native mainly to central Europe and temperate Asia, Betula pendula (syn. verrucosa), or weeping birch, is a large tree belonging to the Betulaceae family. This extremely cold-resistant species has a natural pyramidal habit with a more or less straight trunk, and an oval canopy of long branches with trailing branchlets. Its annual growth is approximately 35 cm (13.8 in) in height and 20 cm (7.9 in) in spread. 'Crispa', a naturally occurring form selected for cultivation, is primarily distinguished by its smaller, thinner, deeply incised leaves ending in a long point.

The tree will reach an average height of 12 m (39 ft 5 in) with a spread of 6 m (19.5ft). The (sometimes multiple) trunk and main branches are covered with a slightly peeling white bark. Over time, on older trunks or branches, it becomes almost black in colour, very rough in texture and developing deep crevices. The branchlets are reddish-brown and dotted with warty lenticels. The deciduous foliage, with almost laciniate leaves, 6 to 10 cm (2.4 to 3.9 in) in length, irregularly toothed along the edges, is fairly dark green and shiny. The leaves turn a beautiful pale yellow before falling. The inconspicuous blooms occur in March-April in the form of yellow-green catkins.

The 'Crispa' Weeping Birch is a majestic tree, quite fantastic in winter when mature, very hardy and resistant to diseases. It tolerates any type of soil that is not too dry or too chalky and requires a sunny or partially shaded position. It will have a most beautiful effect when planted as a specimen, in rows, as a hedge, or in a group of trees selected for their foliage or decorative bark, such as Acer griseum or Betula albosinensis. There's no shortage of possible combinations, to suit every gardener's taste: with maples, a Nysa sylvatica, a sweet gum tree, a Chinese mahogany, or even a white willow.