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Betula occidentalis
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Water Birch
( Betula occidentalis )
Betula occidentalis
More Photos at CalPhotos
More Info at Jepson eFlora
Calflora
Click on blue squares to see occurrence records.
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12 Nurseries Carry This Plant
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About Water Birch (Betula occidentalis)
12 Nurseries Carry This Plant
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Betula occidentalis
(Water Birch) is a species in the Betulaceae family native to western North America. In California its distribution is somewhat patchy, being found in the southern Sierras, Siskiyu and Modoc counties. It typically occurs along streams in mountainous regions from 2,000 ft. to over 11,000 ft. It is a deciduous shrub or small tree growing to 10 meter high, usually with multiple trunks. The bark is dark red-brown to blackish, and smooth but not exfoliating. The twigs are smooth or thinly hairy and have prominent resinous glands but are odorless when scraped. The leaves are alternate, ovate to rhombic, 1-7 centimeter long and 1-4.5 centimeter broad, with a serrated margin and two to six pairs of veins, and a short petiole up to 1.5 centimeter long. The flowers are wind-pollinated catkins 2-4 centimeter long, the male catkins pendulous, the female catkins erect. The fruit is 2-3 centimeter long and 8-15 millimeter broad, composed of numerous tiny winged seeds packed between the catkin leafs. It is amenable to garden conditions and can be used outside its range in the wild. It has good fall color especially where fall weather is colder.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Tree
Size
25 - 32.8 ft tall
25 ft wide
Form
Upright
Growth Rate
Moderate, Fast
Dormancy
Winter Deciduous
Flower Color
Yellow, Green
Flowering Season
Spring
Wildlife Supported
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 5
confirmed
, 81
likely
* )
SHOW ALL
Western Tiger Swallowtail
Papilio rutulus
Papilio rutulus
Ceanothus Silkmoth
Hyalophora euryalus
Hyalophora euryalus
Dark Marbled Carpet
Dysstroma citrata
Dysstroma citrata
Pandemis Leafroller
Pandemis pyrusana
Pandemis pyrusana
Eupithecia perfusca
Eupithecia perfusca
*
Mourning Cloak
Nymphalis antiopa
Nymphalis antiopa
*
Green Comma
Polygonia faunus
Polygonia faunus
Landscaping Information
Sun
Shade, Part Shade
Moisture
Moderate - High
Summer Irrigation
Max 3x / month once established
Nurseries
Carried by 12
Ease of Care
Very Easy
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to -10° F
Soil Drainage
Medium
Soil Description
Prefers coarse-textured, moist to wet soils. Soil PH: 5.0 - 7.0
Common uses
Butterfly Gardens
Companion Plants
Trees -
Coast Redwood
(
Sequoia sempervirens
),
Santa Lucia Fir
(
Abies bracteata
),
Douglas Fir
(
Pseudotsuga menziesii
), and many others.
Shrubs and herbs -
Meadow Rue
(
Thalictrum fendleri
), Snowdrop Bush (
Styrax officinalis
),
Yellow Monkeyflower
(
Mimulus guttatus
),
Western Azalea
(
Rhododendron
occidentale), and Huckleberry (Vaccinum ovatum),
Yerba Mansa
(
Anemopsis californica
), wild
Rose
(
Rosa californica
), and
Hedge Nettle
(
Stachys bullata
).
Maintenance
Prune to shape in late fall as soon as leaves have dropped
Propagation
?
For propagating by seed: 3 mos. stratification. No treatment. with light during germination may give equally good results (Association of Official Seed Analysts 1981; USDA Forest Service 1974).
Sunset Zones
?
1*, 2*, 3*, 4, 5, 6, 7*, 9*, 10*, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18*, 19*, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Natural Setting
Site Type
Streamsides, springs of medium to high elevation mountains
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 5.2" - 111.3", Summer Precipitation: 0.34" - 4.35", Coldest Month: 17.9" - 48.5", Hottest Month: 38.4" - 76.1", Humidity: 1.16" - 30.15", Elevation: 35" - 14460"
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Water Birch
Betula occidentalis
Sources include:
Wikipedia
. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the
California Consortia of Herbaria
, Sunset information provided by
Jepson Flora Project
. Propogation from seed information provided by the
Santa Barbara Botanical Garden
from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include
CalPhotos
,
Wikimedia Commons
, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include
Calflora
,
CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online
,
Jepson Flora Project
,
Las Pilitas
,
Theodore Payne
,
Tree of Life
,
The Xerces Society
, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from
PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University
, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.
Links:
Jepson eFlora Taxon Page
CalPhotos
Wikipedia
Calflora
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