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Jul 1, 2023 · Birch tree flowers are small, insignificant clusters of flowering spikes called catkins. Birch trees bloom in spring at the same time leaves appear. Flowers on male birch trees are 1.2” (3 cm) long, and the flowers on female trees are 0.4” to 0.8” (1 – 2 cm) long.
Birches are monoecious, meaning that each individual tree has both male and female flowers. The trees can begin flowering when they are as young as 5 – 10 years old, and the flowers appear in the spring at the same time as the new leaves.
Silver birch is monoecious, meaning both male and female flowers (catkins) are found on the same tree, from April to May. The flowers appear from April to May. Male catkins are long and yellow-brown in colour, and hang in groups of two to four at the tips of shoots, like lambs' tails. Female catkins are smaller, short, bright green and erect.
- BBC Gardeners' World Magazine
- Betula 'Fascination' A cultivar of Chinese red birch (Betula albosinensis var. septentrionalis), Betula 'Fascination' is a relatively narrow and upright birch tree.
- Betula albosinensis var. septentrionalis. Chinese red birch has beautiful greyish bark with pink overtones. It's one of the best small trees for autumn colour – its bark gently peels, leaving a contrasting creamy bark beneath, while its leaves turn a bright and buttery shade of yellow.
- Betula utilis 'Grayswood Ghost' A cultivar of Himalayan birch, Betula utilis, 'Grayswood Ghost' is one of the best birch trees for winter interest, thanks to its gleaming white bark.
- Betula nigra 'Cully' A cultivar of river birch, Betula nigra, which is native to North America, 'Cully' is best for damp soils. It has cream-brown shaggy bark and glossy foliage.
Flowers and Fruits. Birch trees have separate male and female flowers, that is, they are monoecious. The flowers appear at the same time as the new leaves in the spring. The male flowers are drooping catkins, about 3 cm long. The pollen can be a problem to hay fever sufferers.
Betula and wildlife. Betula is known for attracting bees, beneficial insects, birds, butterflies/moths and other pollinators. It is a caterpillar food plant, has nectar/pollen rich flowers, is used for nesting materials, provides shelter and habitat, has seeds for birds and makes a good wildlife hedge. Bees. Beneficial insects.
Oct 8, 2024 · Birch, genus of about 40 species of short-lived ornamental and timber trees and shrubs of the family Betulaceae, distributed throughout cool regions of the Northern Hemisphere. They are valuable in reforestation and erosion control, and many are cultivated as ornamentals for their attractive foliage and bark.
