Sweet Birch
Scientific Name: Betula lenta
— pronounced BET-yoo-luh LEN-ta
— Betula, Latin for birch; lenta, from the Latin lentus, meaning flexible & tough.
Birch Family (Betulaceae): over 60 species worldwide, including hornbeams, alders, & hazels.
Other Common Names: Black Birch, Cherry Birch, Mahogany Birch
— pronounced BET-yoo-luh LEN-ta
— Betula, Latin for birch; lenta, from the Latin lentus, meaning flexible & tough.
Birch Family (Betulaceae): over 60 species worldwide, including hornbeams, alders, & hazels.
Other Common Names: Black Birch, Cherry Birch, Mahogany Birch
Sweet Birch is most easily identified by its bark, twigs, & leaves.
The bark of young trees is smooth and gray to black in color, with long, thin horizontal lenticels (pores). On older trees, the bark becomes fissured, but the lenticels are usually still visible. The bark, unlike yellow birch, doesn’t peel away in curly horizontal strips.
Twigs, when scratched, have a wintergreen aroma. This is the reason for the common name sweet birch.
Sweet birch leaves are alternate, 2 1⁄2 - 5” long, oval shaped, with pointed tips. The leaf margins are toothed. The base of the leaf is usually cordate (heart-shaped). The lateral (side) leaves of mature trees are usually born on short spur branches.
Sweet birch is fast growing and usually found on cool, moist, well-drained sites. Sweet birch often establishes itself in forest openings, where it out-competes more shade-tolerant species with its rapid growth.
The bark of young trees is smooth and gray to black in color, with long, thin horizontal lenticels (pores). On older trees, the bark becomes fissured, but the lenticels are usually still visible. The bark, unlike yellow birch, doesn’t peel away in curly horizontal strips.
Twigs, when scratched, have a wintergreen aroma. This is the reason for the common name sweet birch.
Sweet birch leaves are alternate, 2 1⁄2 - 5” long, oval shaped, with pointed tips. The leaf margins are toothed. The base of the leaf is usually cordate (heart-shaped). The lateral (side) leaves of mature trees are usually born on short spur branches.
Sweet birch is fast growing and usually found on cool, moist, well-drained sites. Sweet birch often establishes itself in forest openings, where it out-competes more shade-tolerant species with its rapid growth.
For more photos and ID help: VA Tech dendrology
Interesting Facts:
Interesting Facts:
- The bark of young trees can resemble that of young black cherry, hence the common name cherry birch.
- Birch beer is made from the sap of sweet birch.
- The wood of sweet birch, when exposed to air, darkens to a color resembling mahogany, hence the common name mahogany birch.