BIRCH * BETULA
- Deciduous ornamental trees grown chiefly
for their bright green foliage.
- Conspicuous on account of the color of the bark. The birches
are very ornamental park trees, hardy, except two or three Himalayan
species, and especially valuable for colder climates. They are
essentailly northern trees and are short-lived in warmer regions.
Betula nigra and lenta are better suited for a warmer
climate than most other species.
- Their foliage is rarely attacked by insects, and turns to
a bright or orange-yellow in fall. Their graceful habit, the
slender, often pendulous branches, and the picturesque trunks
make them conspicuous features of the landscape. Especially remarkable
are those with white bark.
- Most birches prefer moist, sandy and loamy soil. Some as
Betula pendula and Betula populifolia, grow satisfactorily
in dry localities and poor soil.
- Varieties grow to 80 ft.