Betula papyrifera - Paper Birch

Betula papyrifera, more commonly known as Paper Birch, is a species native to North America with white bark. When it peels off in thin strips, it reveals a new brown-orange bark. This tall tree reaches an average height of 25m (82ft), with a spread of 12m (39ft). Its habit is spread out and pyramidal to rounded, and its early foliage is bright green, deciduous, turning a beautiful golden colour in autumn. Very hardy, easy to grow, and fast-growing, it thrives in moist to wet soil and suffers in overly dry soil. Whether planted as a solitary specimen or in a grove on a meadow, it is ornamental all year round.

The Paper Birch is a deciduous tree native to the northern United States and Canada. In the wild it is found in mixed forests of deciduous and coniferous trees: this pioneering species grows rapidly and can easily reach a height of 30m (98ft 5in), but requires plenty of light to survive. It is one of the largest birch species. The Paper Birch gets its name from the fine nature of its bark. Its lightweight and durable wood was also extensively used by Native Americans to build canoes. Nowadays, it is cultivated for firewood, paper pulp, and to a lesser extent for its sap, a "detox" food that has recently gained popularity.

In our climate, the Paper Birch rarely exceeds 25m (82ft) in height. It develops rapidly, sometimes from multiple trunks. With age, the tree develops a wide crown of about a dozen metres, branching into several outspread and trailing branches. The trunks of young specimens are shiny reddish-brown, until a fairly advanced age. The bark of old trees is pure white and peels off in very fine flakes, revealing the new, darker bark. The triangular leaves are a matte green with a lighter underside, turning golden yellow in autumn. The leaves are bordered by irregular teeth. The flowering is in April, in the form of male catkins that are yellow-brown and female erect greenish cones. This tree has a shallow root system, consisting of secondary roots and numerous rootlets.

The Betula papyrifera is an easy-to-grow plant in any moist to wet, well-drained soil. It dislikes dry soils. Its main attraction is its bark, but its majestic silhouette and delicate shade make it even more appealing where space allows. As a street tree, it can be planted as a solitary specimen or in small groups of 3 trees. In the centre of a flower bed, it will be wonderful simply surrounded by ground-covering perennials such as lungworts, Trachystemon orientalis, or a carpet of wood anemones. It lends itself to stunning combinations with other remarkable plants in winter, such as multicoloured bark Cornus or winter-flowering and fragrant Hamamelis and Sarcococca. Its autumn foliage will complement that of Nyssa sylvatica in marshy soil or along the edge of a pond.