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Betula lenta (Sweet or Black or Cherry Birch)

A small Betula lenta (Sweet or Black or Cherry Birch) tree in April at Longwood Gardens.
Betula lenta (cherry birch, black birch) male and female catkins in Wallingford, CT. Photo © Doug McGrady CC BY 2.0
Betula lenta (Sweet or Black or Cherry Birch) in June at the Charlotte Botanical Garden.
Close-up of Betula lenta (Sweet or Black or Cherry Birch) bark in April. Photo © Mary Free, 2018-04-14, Connecticut College Arboretum, New London, CT.
Betula lenta (Sweet or Black or Cherry Birch) bark in June.
Pinnate venation of Betula lenta (Sweet or Black or Cherry Birch) leaves in August.
A small Betula lenta tree in October at Longwood Gardens.
Unusually tall Betula lenta (sweet birch) along the Appalachian Trail within the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area in October.

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Betula lenta Tried and True Native Plant Selections Sweet or Black or Cherry Birch for the Mid-Atlantic Sweet Birch shows off in fall with its golden-yellow color—among the best of the birches—and in winter with the sheen of its young bark. Its fragrant foliage and twigs were historically a source of wintergreen flavoring. It finds a home* on the cool north and east slopes of mountain woods. Tree Trees (Bare and Leafing Out), Bark, Leaves Height: 40–75 feet Spread: 35–50 feet Bloom Color: Yellow green Characteristics Medium-sized deciduous tree with rounded crown of spreading branches Alternate, ovate, sharply-serrated, green leaves Male flowers: 2–3 inch long catkins, in groups of 4 Female flowers: 1⁄2–1 inch upright catkins; fruit: cone-like cluster of samaras with two lateral wings Excellent fall color of golden yellow Young reddish-brown bark with distinct horizontal lenticels ages from gray to black with scaly plates Attributes Tolerates dry sites (but prefers moist ones), rocky soils, heavy soils; intolerant of shade; may be stressed by excessive heat and humidity; resistant to bronze birch borer; susceptible to nectria canker; deer rarely damage Like sugar maples, trees can be tapped for the sap, which is fermented into birch beer Attracts a variety of songbirds and small mammals; larval host for ~321 lepidopterans, incl. Mourning Cloak, Red-spotted Purple, various Sphinx moths High wildlife value Soil Requirements: Rich, acidic soil Excellent Replacement for Betula pendula - European White Birch Light Requirements: Sun, Partial Shade Water Requirements: Dry, Moist Prune in summer after sap stops flowing Use as a shade tree for large sites *It is not reported in DC. It is common in DE. It is scattered in MD and present throughout PA. In VA, it is common in the mountains, infrequent in the Piedmont, and rare in the Coastal Plain. It is native to NoVA. Hardiness: USDA Zones 3a-8b developed by Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia, serving Arlington and Alexandria Images by Mary Free, Connecticut College Arboretum and by Robert M. Kline and Elaine Mills (leaves), Longwood Gardens

Tried and True Native Plant Selections 
for the Mid-Atlantic

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Betula lenta (Sweet or Black or Cherry Birch)

Sweet Birch shows off in fall with its golden-yellow color—among the best of the birches—and in winter with the sheen of its young bark. Its fragrant foliage and twigs were historically a source of wintergreen flavoring. It finds a home* on the cool north and east slopes of mountain woods.

*It is not reported in DC. It is common in DE. It is scattered in MD and present throughout PA. In VA, it is common in the mountains, infrequent in the Piedmont, and rare in the Coastal Plain. It is native to NoVA. You can view the VA counties in which it has been reported here.

Video © Mary Free

Learn more about other Mid-Atlantic plants: 
Tried and True Native Plant Fact Sheets