Betula platyphylla var. japonica
Japanese White Birch

Family:

Betulaceae (Birch Family) 27

Genus:

Betula (Birch) 12

Plant Type:

Tree 581

Hardiness:

USDA Zone 4 498

Deciduous / Evergreen:

Deciduous 809

Flowers:

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

Foliage:

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

Fruit:

Brown (Small nutlets; not ornamentally important)

Ultimate Height:

40-50 feet

Ultimate Spread:

25-30 feet

Light Requirements:

Soil:

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

Range:

Cultivated origin

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.

Special Characteristics:

Wet Soil Tolerant 106

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.