Betula pendula ssp. mandshurica
Asian White Birch

Previously known as: Betula platyphylla var. japonica, Betula platyphylla

Family:

Betulaceae (Birch Family) 28

Genus:

Betula (Birch) 12

Plant Type:

Tree 569

Growth Forms:

Upright 571

Hardiness:

USDA Zone 4 515

Deciduous / Evergreen:

Deciduous 836

Flower Notes:

Brown (Small, greenish-brown catkins in the spring; not ornamentally important)

Foliage Notes:

Green (Lustrous dark green summer foliage); Yellow (Yellow fall foliage)

Stem Notes:

Brown (warty and brown), White (larger branches are bright white)

Fruit Notes:

Brown (Small nutlets in the summer; not ornamentally important)

Ultimate Height:

40-50 feet

Ultimate Spread:

25-30 feet

Bloom Times:

Light Requirements:

Soil Notes:

Prefers moist to wet, well-drained, sandy or rocky soils; adapts to many types of soils and pH's

Range:

Cultivated origin

Maintenance:

High 16

Diagnostic Characteristics:

Leaves (1.5-3" long) are doubly serrated and have a truncate base, long tapering apex point, and axillary tufts under leaf in vein axils. Resinous glands are present on young stems.

Ecological Functions:

Pollen and/or Nectar Producer 289

Special Characteristics:

Wet Soil Tolerant 109

Additional Information

A generally better choice than the species type, Betula platyphylla var. japonica is a larger, graceful tree with thinner, spreading branches and striking pure white bark. It is especially well adapted to wet soilsand does not do well in dry situations. Less subject to the borer troubles of B. papyrifera in the Midwest, although still susceptible.