Birch Black 5Gal

Key Characteristics & Growing Conditions

• Height & Spread: Grows 40 to 75 feet tall with a 35 to 45-foot spread, featuring a pyramidal shape in youth that rounds out with age.
• Bark & Foliage: Unlike white birches, its smooth dark-brown to black bark resembles cherry bark on young trees and forms scaly plates with age. Leaves turn a brilliant golden-yellow in the fall. 
• Wintergreen Aroma: Crushed twigs, bark, and leaves release a strong wintergreen scent due to methyl salicylate. 
• Sun & Soil: Performs best in full sun to partial shade in moist, well-drained, acidic soils, though it adapts well to clay and rocky conditions.
Hardiness: Thrives in USDA Zones 3 through 7.

Uses & Wildlife Value

• Historical Uses: The sap is used to make birch beer and syrup, while the bark and twigs were historically distilled to produce commercial oil of wintergreen. Its heavy, durable wood resembles mahogany when exposed to air and is valued for furniture and flooring. [1, 2, 3]
• Wildlife: Serves as a keystone larval host plant for various butterflies and moths (such as the Mourning Cloak) and provides food for songbirds, game birds, and small mammals.

*Stock image shown for reference. Actual tree appearance may vary.