Flowers:
Brown (Catkins; not ornamentally important)
Foliage:
Green (Glossy dark green foliage); Yellow (Yellow fall foliage)
Fruit:
Brown (Not ornamentally important)
Soil:
Especially well adapted to cool, wet soils; does not do well in hot, dry situations.
Diagnostic Characteristics:
Leaves are alternate, simple, 3-5" long and half as wide; larger than Betula papyrifera. Often heart-shaped base. Doubley toothed. Shining yellow-brown to red-brown bark exfoliating in thin shreds and with prominent horizontal lenticels. Freshly crushed stems smell and taste of wintergreen.
