Conical and dense in youth, rounding with age; Dirr & Warren report that young trees can grow 5' in a year. Best in cool climates; afternoon shade may be appreciated. Salt and drought tolerance are debated.
Resistant to bronze birch borer.
Pruning cuts bleed sap unless done in summer. Poor compartmentalizer of decay.
Bark tastes/smells sweet like wintergreen (unlike that of B. alleghaniensis which tastes bitter) and does not exfoliate (also unlike same); its horizontal lenticels resemble those of cherry trees, hence the common name.
The fact that the USDA somehow rates both this birch and B. alleghaniensis as "Fall Conspicuous = No" just goes to show the importance of using multiple sources, as this database does. Similarly, the USDA is the outlier in claiming no clay tolerance, as contradicted by JerseyYards.org, Dove/Woolridge, UConn, and NCSU.
Subspecies uber (roundleaf birch) grows at lower elevations, to a smaller size, with superior heat and drought tolerance.
Sources: White Oak, Dove/Woolridge, Dirr, Dirr & Warren, UFL, NCSU, JerseyYards.org, UConn, USDA, Druse.
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