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Betula lenta
Sweet Birch (Cherry Birch)
Yellow, fall foliage offers great colour and dark, shiny red almost black bark adds to its visual appeal. A wintergreen scent emanates from crushed leaves and broken twigs.
- » Yellow fall foliage colour is considered one of the best of the species
- » Attractive, dark, shiny red almost black bark
- » Strong wintergreen scent to its bark and leaves
- » Upright-pyramidal when young, irregular rounded with age
- » Male and female catkins
- » Bloom Time: Spring
Additional Information about Betula lenta
Cherry birch is also variously called black birch for its dark, shiny bark, and sweet birch for its wintergreen-smelling twigs. Saplings of this tree are often among the earliest colonizers of newly logged ground in southern New England. Once the source of birch beer and oil of wintergreen (methyl salicylate, a preservative and medicinal rub), this tree is now used primarily as a shade tree and occasional source of dark wood which is difficult to work but ages to a deep finish reminiscent of mahogany.
Growing & Maintenance Tips for Betula lenta
Plant in a fertile, moist, well-drained soil that is slightly acidic. Will tolerate rocky, dry sites, however hot, dry locations should be avoided.