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Betula papyrifera Marshall American white birch, paper birch, canoe birch, silver birch, American birch, white birch
The American white birch or paper birch is a native of North America. Papyrifera means "paper"—the white, peelable bark is smooth and paperlike. Identification: The paper birch reaches about 60′ (18 m) in height, rarely up to twice that. The trunk (sometimes multiply stemmed) is typically bright white, up to 1′ (30 cm) in diameter, with a peeling, papery bark. However, young trees consist of a reddish bronze bark that does not peel, and sometimes, especially in western trees, this bark remains throughout the tree's life. Trees tend to be pyramidal when young, becoming more irregular as they age. Leaves are alternate, ovate, with pointed tips; dark green above, pale green below, yellow in the fall. Both male and female flowers occur on the same tree. Male flowers are catkins 2-4″ (5-10 cm) long. Female flowers are also catkins, 1-1½″ (2.5-3.8 cm) long. Please don't peel bark from these trees—it can kill them! Online References:
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Earl J.S. Rook's Flora, Fauna, Earth, and Sky ... The Natural History of the Northwoods The USDA Forest Service's Silvics of North America site The University of Connecticut Plant Database References:
Sibley, David Allen, The Sibley Guide to Trees, Alfred A. Knopf, 2009, p. 151 Petrides, George A., Peterson Field Guides: Trees and Shrubs, Houghton Mifflin Co., 1972, p. 231, 338 Little, Elbert L., National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees, Eastern Region, Alfred A. Knopf, 1980, p. 179, 615, 368 Little, Elbert L., National Audubon Society Field Guide to Trees, Western Region, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1980, p. 206, 383 Dirr, Michael A., Dirr’s Hardy Trees and Shrubs, Timber Press, 1997, p. 57 Symonds, George W. D.; photos by Chelminski, Stephen V., The Tree Identification Book, Harper, 2003, p. 44
7/2/2016 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Groton, Massachusetts
8/15/2015 · Grafton Notch State Park, Newry, Maine · ≈ 1 × 2′ (39 × 59 cm)
1/1/2012 · Big Tree Trail • Tudor Richards Natural History and Forest Trail, Hollis, New Hampshire
1/1/2012 · Big Tree Trail • Tudor Richards Natural History and Forest Trail, Hollis, New Hampshire
5/10/2016 · Old Long Loop, Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hampshire
11/30/2011 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton
6/2/2016 · Townsend Wildlife Management Area, Townsend, Massachusetts
5/6/2021 · Tarbox Preserve, Topsham, Maine · ≈ 5 × 3½″ (13 × 8.7 cm)
6/2/2016 · Townsend Wildlife Management Area, Townsend, Massachusetts
3/9/2012 · Groton Place and Sabine Woods, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 14 × 9″ (35 × 23 cm)
Betula papyrifera description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 14 Aug 2021.
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The raised horizontal patches—lenticels—are part of the tree’s “respiratory system,” allowing gas exchange. · 8/15/2015 · Grafton Notch State Park, Newry, Maine · ≈ 8 × 12″ (21 × 31 cm)
4/26/2023 · Cathance River Trails, Highland Green, Topsham, Maine
11/5/2020 · Highland Green, Topsham, Maine
7/3/2012 · By Jacquelyn Boyt
6/2/2016 · Townsend Wildlife Management Area, Townsend, Massachusetts
11/30/2011 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton
Not sure what titanic force ripped this tree out of the ground. · 4/14/2021 · Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park, Freeport, Maine
5/6/2021 · Tarbox Preserve, Topsham, Maine · ≈ 5 × 8″ (13 × 20 cm)
5/10/2016 · Old Long Loop, Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hampshire
12/10/2011 · Groton Place and Sabine Woods, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 1 × 2′ (41 × 62 cm)
5/6/2021 · Tarbox Preserve, Topsham, Maine · ≈ 8 × 5″ (20 × 13 cm)
5/9/2021 · Mitchell Field, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 12 × 8″ (31 × 20 cm) Range:
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