North Carolina Wildflowers

by Jeffrey S. Pippen | Back to Jeff's Plant Page | Jeff's Nature Pages


Betulaceae > Betula

Yellow Birch (Betula alleghaniensis) Yellow Birch (Betula alleghaniensis)
Buncombe Co. NC 7/8/2006

Common in the NC mountains. Scratching the stem of twigs yields a strong and pleasant wintergreen aroma.

Yellow Birch (Betula alleghaniensis) Yellow Birch (Betula alleghaniensis)
Buncombe Co. NC 5/13/2006
Yellow Birch (Betula alleghaniensis) Yellow Birch (Betula alleghaniensis)
Mt. Mitchell State Park, Yancey Co., NC
13 Sep 2008
Yellow Birch (Betula alleghaniensis) Yellow Birch (Betula alleghaniensis)
Watauga Co. NC 7/23/2006

The female flowers (upper structures) develop the fruits, while the old male flowers dangle.

Yellow Birch (Betula alleghaniensis) Yellow Birch (Betula alleghaniensis)
Buncombe Co. NC 7/8/2006

Yellow Birch has distinctively appealing bark.

Yellow Birch (Betula alleghaniensis)
Buncombe Co., NC 4/29/2006

Sweet Birch (Betula lenta) Sweet Birch (Betula lenta var. lenta)McDowell Co., NC
13 Sep 2008

Common at low-mid elevations in the western third of North Carolina.

Sweet Birch (Betula lenta) Sweet Birch (Betula lenta var. lenta)McDowell Co., NC
13 Sep 2008

Pale lenticels on reddish brown bark. Leaves and twigs give off a delicious wintergreen smell and flavor when injured or chewed.

Sweet Birch (Betula lenta) Sweet Birch (Betula lenta var. lenta)McDowell Co., NC
13 Sep 2008

Sweet Birch (Betula lenta) Sweet Birch (Betula lenta var. lenta)McDowell Co., NC
13 Sep 2008

Bark grayish brown to reddish brown (not yellowish) with plates developing in older trees.


River Birch (Betula nigra) River Birch (Betula nigra)
Durham Co., NC
11 Apr 2009

Like other birches, male catkins appear in the fall but the flowers don't open until spring. Fruits of River Birch develop in late spring to early summer.

River Birch (Betula nigra) River Birch (Betula nigra)
Durham Co., NC
11 Apr 2009

Common statewide in North Carolina, especially along streams and rivers and in floodplains.

River Birch (Betula nigra) River Birch (Betula nigra)
Durham Co., NC
11 Apr 2009

River Birches are small to medium trees with exfoliating bark that is somewhat salmon-rust colored and vaguely looks like a bunch of burnt potato chips plastered onto the tree trunk.

River Birch (Betula nigra) River Birch (Betula nigra)
Durham Co., NC
11 Apr 2009


Mountain Paper Birch (Betula cordifolia) Mountain Paper Birch (Betula cordifolia)
Mt. Mitchell State Park, Yancey Co., NC
13 Sep 2008

Mountain Paper Birch is one of North Carolina's rarest woody plants, known only from the Black Mountains in Yancey Co.

Mountain Paper Birch (Betula cordifolia) Mountain Paper Birch (Betula cordifolia)
Mt. Mitchell State Park, Yancey Co., NC
13 Sep 2008

Leaves are generally heart-shaped, seen here with old fruiting catkins.

Mountain Paper Birch (Betula cordifolia) Mountain Paper Birch (Betula cordifolia)
Mt. Mitchell State Park, Yancey Co., NC
13 Sep 2008

Bark peels off in large, paper-like strips and is a rich tan on its underside.

Mountain Paper Birch (Betula cordifolia) Mountain Paper Birch (Betula cordifolia)
Mt. Mitchell State Park, Yancey Co., NC
13 Sep 2008

Some authorities consider this species to be a variety of Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera).


Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera) Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera)
Quebec, Canada
5 Aug 2005

Not found in NC, Paper Birch is an icon of the Northern Woods, growing in Canada and some of the northern bordering US states. The distinctive bark peels off in large sheets and has been used as a medium for writings and drawings.

Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera)
Washington Co., ME
6 July 2011

Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera)
St. Clair Co., MI
7 July 2012
Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera)
St. Clair Co., MI
7 July 2012
Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera)
St. Clair Co., MI
7 July 2012
Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera)
Washington Co., ME
6 July 2011

Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera)
Washington Co., ME
6 July 2011

Like most birches, younger stems have prominent, pale lenticels and reddish-brown bark.

Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera) Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera)
Quebec, Canada
5 Aug 2005



Annotated habitat and distribution information listed above is from Radford, Ahles, & Bell. 1968. Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas. UNC Press; and from personal observations and discussions with Will Cook, Harry LeGrand, and Bob Wilbur. Common names from personal experience and supplemented by the following resources USDA plants website, Flora of the Carolinas, Virginia, and Georgia, and NatureServe.


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Created on ... July 16, 2006 | jeffpippen9@gmail.com