River Birch – Dura-Heat™
Scientific name: Betula nigra ‘BNMTF’ Dura-Heat™
The Dura-Heat™ river birch is a fast-growing, small- to medium sized, deciduous tree. River birch is native to floodplains, swampy bottomlands, and along streams in eastern North America. It is easily grown in medium to wet soils in full sun to part shade.
The cultivar, or cultivated variety, Dura-Heat™ is a slightly smaller single trunk or multi-stemmed tree that reaches to 30-40 ft tall and 25-35 ft wide. The brown-green flowers bloom in spring. Compared to other cultivars of river birch, Dura-Heat™ has a creamy white bark, better tolerance to heat, better resistance to insects and disease, and superior foliage.
Leathery, diamond-shaped leaves are smaller, thicker, closer together on twigs, and more likely to remain on the tree in the fall. Conical in shape, this hardy tree lives for 30-40 years in urban settings but may live longer with adequate water supply. These trees are important hosts for butterfly larvae, and their seeds attract birds such as goldfinches. Dura-Heat™ is tolerant of deer, clay, and air pollution. Great tree for lawns, parks, residential areas, rain gardens, and wet soils. This tree grows in plant hardiness zones 4-9.
