Birch (Betulaceae)

ISM Herbarium : Trees : Birch (Betulaceae)

Betula nigra (River Birch)
River birch grows to 40 to 80 feet tall in wet soils of swamps, lakes, and along streams and on floodplains. It grows west of the Mississippi from eastern Iowa south to eastern Texas and into Louisiana; It stretches from southern Illinois to southern Massachusetts, and stretches down through the south to northern Florida.
The 1 1/2" to 3" long leaves are saw-toothed ovate. The upper surface is dark green and the underside is whitish. Male flowers are tiny catkins. The hairy brownish cones (one shown here) composed of two-winged nutlets are 1" to 1 1/2" long.

Collection of the Illinois State Museum
ISM Herbarium Sheet #: 5439

ISM Herbarium : Trees : Birch (Betulaceae)

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