Betula lutea
Yellow Birch
| Family |
| Betulaceae |
| Genus |
| Betula |
| Species |
| lutea |
| Category |
| Woody |
| Type |
| Tree (deciduous) |
| Pronunciation |
| USDA Hardiness Zone |
| 4 |
| Canadian Hardiness Zone |
| 2 - 5a |
| RHS Hardiness Zone |
| H7 |
| Temperature (°C) |
| -35 - (-29) |
| Temperature (°F) |
| -30 - (-20) |
| Height |
| 20-35 m |
| Spread |
| 2-5 m |
| General Description |
| It is a medium sized tree with bronze/yellow bark. The leaves are a dull green with a yellow underside. It develops a catkin which contains numerous white winged seeds. |
| Landscape |
| Rarely seen in cultivation, and rare in the wild where odd trees may be seen growing in mixed hardwood forests. |
| Shape |
| Develops a broad, round crown. |
| Growth |
| Medium |
| ID Characteristic |
| It has a bronze/yellow bark that turns reddish. The underside of the leaves have a tinge of yellow to them. |
| Pests |
| Leaf miner |
| Habitat |
| Seen where there is a cool moist soil and where there are scattered trees. |
| Bark/Stem Description |
| It has a bronze/yellow bark. It's bark then later turns a red/brown and becomes very rigid. Not as appealing as the paper birch. |
| Flower/Leaf Bud Description |
| They are imbricate and usually are appressed and slightly hairy. These are 1-2 cm in size. |
| Leaf Description |
| They are a simple leaves alternately arranged and are doubly serrate. They are ovate to linear ovate, to about 7.5-12.5 cm in length with a rounded base. |
| Flower Description |
| It develops a catkin that is full of tiny white winged seeds. These catkins are 2-4 cm long by 1.5 cm thick. They are usually brown in colour. |
| Fruit Description |
| Catkins grow 2-4 cm long, they are thick and erect, short stalked or subsessile, usually brown in colour. |
| Colour Description |
| The tree has dull green leaves with a yellow underside. The leaves turn yellow in the autumn. The bark is a yellow/bronze and turns to a brown/red that is slightly rigid at maturity. |
| Texture Description |
| It has a medium texture. |
| Notable Specimens |
| Medway Valley, London, Ontario, Canada. |