Betula nigra aka River Birch

Betula nigra, also known as black birch, river birch, or water birch, is a deciduous tree that is native to the Eastern United States, ranging from New Hampshire to southern Minnesota, and from northern Florida to Texas. It is one of the few heat-tolerant birches in a family of mostly cold-weather trees that do not thrive in USDA Zone 6 and up. The river birch commonly occurs in floodplains and swamps and is perhaps the most culturally adaptable and heat tolerant of the birches. It can grow up to 25-30 meters with a trunk diameter of 50-150 centimeters. The base of the tree is often divided into multiple slender trunks. The bark of the river birch differs during its youth stage, maturation, and old growth. A young river birch tree has salmon-pink to brown-gray tint with loose layers of curling, paper-thin scales. As the tree matures, the salmon-pink color is exchanged for a reddish-brown with a dark grey base color. The scales on a mature tree lack the loose curling and are closely pressed into thick, irregular plates. These scales are slightly separated from the trunk and can shift outward to the side. Once the river birch ages past maturity, the scales become thicker towards the base of the trunk and are divided into deep furrows. The leaves of the river birch are alternate, ovate, and have a serrated margin and five to twelve pairs of veins. The upper surface of the leaf is dark green in color, while the underside can be described as having a light yellow-green color. The leaves turn yellow in autumn. The flowers are wind-pollinated catkins 3-6 centimeters long, with the male catkins pendulous and the female catkins erect. The fruit is unusual among birches in maturing in late spring and is composed of numerous tiny winged seeds packed between the catkin bracts. River birch is easily grown in average, medium to wet soils in full sun to part shade. It prefers moist, acidic, fertile soils, including semi-aquatic conditions, but also tolerates drier soils. Soaker hoses and bark mulches can be used to keep the root zones cool and moist. River birch adapts well to heavy clay soils of Missouri and will tolerate poor drainage. However, pruning should be avoided in spring when the sap is running. River birch is also a rare houseplant that needs to be watered regularly and does best in long-lasting, direct light, less than 1 foot from a window. It likes soil that is well draining and doesn't require added fertilizers if it is repotted each time it doubles in size. River birch belongs to the Betula genus and is native to Eastern Canada and the United States.