Plant Type

Tree, Shrub

 

Height Range

12-25', 25-40'

 

Flower Color

Violet

 

Flower Season

Spring

 

Leaf Color

Green, Dark Green

 

Bark Color

Brown, Red

 

Fruit Color

Brown

 

Fruit Season

Summer, Fall, Persistent

Sun

Full, Half

 

Water

High, Extra in Summer

 

Growth Rate

Moderate, Slow

 

Soil Type

Sandy, Clay, Loam, Rocky

 

Soil Condition

Average, Rich, Well-drained, Moist

 

Soil pH

Neutral, Basic

 

Adverse Factors

n/a

Design Styles

Meadow, Ranch, Native Garden, Woodland

 

Accenting Features

Fall Color, Multi-trunk Tree, Silhouette

 

Seasonal Interest

Winter, Summer, Fall

 

Location Uses

Background, Shrub Border, Lawn, Patio, Walls / Fences

 

Special Uses

Erosion Control, Hedge, Screen, Shade Tree

 

Attracts Wildlife

Butterflies

Western Water Birch is a small tree or shrub, growing 20 to 30 feet tall and 15 to 20 feet wide. It tends to grow as a clump with upright, ascending branches. Leaves are oval, sharply pointed, prominently veined, and dark green. Fall color is yellow to orange. Spring catkins and small cone-like fruits mature in the fall and persist into winter, providing interest and forage for birds. Bark is smooth, reddish brown, with thin, cream lenticels (rather like a cherry tree). A Utah native.

Grow in sun to part shade, in well drained to wet soils. Clay-loam to rocky-loam soils. Will tolerate alkaline soils to 7.0 pH. Though having a higher water need than many of the trees in this database, Western Water birch is a lovely tree, well suited to our riparian corridor areas, though it ought to manage well is situated next to a lawn where it can benefit from the extra moisture. Not suited to very hot, dry sites. More borer-resistant than other birches. A Utah native, it is found in riparian areas.