Black birch

Black birch Betula nigra

Description

A common name for two Birch trees, Betula lenta (sweet birch) and Betula nigra (river birch), native to eastern North America. Black birch has a hard, dense wood with a straight, fine grain. It is used for cabinetry and flooring.

Synonyms and Related Terms

Betula lenta; Betula nigra; bouleau noir (Fr.); sweet birch; cherry birch; river birch

Physical and Chemical Properties

• Tree height= 20-25m
• Bark is smooth creamy color that peels in papery sheets

Additional Images

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  River Birch (Betula nigra)
  radial section

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  River Birch (Betula nigra)
  tangential section

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  River Birch (Betula nigra)
  transverse section

Resources and Citations

• G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 104

• Dictionary of Building Preservation, Ward Bucher, ed., John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York City, 1996

• Virginia Tech Dencrology website at www.fw.vt.edu/dendro/dendrology/main.htm (accessed Oct. 3, 2005)

• Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Birch (Accessed Oct. 3, 2005)

• Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998