Betula nigra Heritage - Birch

Betula nigra Heritage is a natural seedling of the American black birch discovered by chance in 1968 in the USA, always valued for the beauty of its bark, its unusual structure, and its lovely autumn foliage. Often growing on multiple trunks, the spreading branches of the canopy become arched with age, and its bark, white and smooth when young, takes on a delightful brown-pink to cream hue over time. It peels off in large curly strips, giving it a rugged look. Highly ornamental throughout the year, it is also a vigorous and fast-growing species, particularly adaptable to different climate and soil conditions and remarkably resistant to diseases and pests. In summary, it is a very beautiful birch tree, and one of the easiest to grow, in both warm and cold climates.

The Black Birch, or Betula nigra, is a deciduous tree native to the warm regions located in southeastern USA, from New Hampshire to Minnesota, Florida, and eastern Texas. In nature, it is found along rivers and swamps, although it can grow in much drier conditions. It is also called River Birch.

The 'Heritage' cultivar gets its other name of 'Cully' from Earl Cully, who discovered it in the wild in the state of Missouri. It is distinctive from the classic type due to its very ornamental appearance, largely thanks to its beautifully coloured bark. This medium-sized tree, reaching a height of 6m (19 ft 8 in) at 10 years and 9m (29 ft 6 in) at maturity, develops rapidly, often from multiple trunks. With age, the tree acquires a wide crown of 6-7m (19 ft 8 in-23 ft), branching out at a height of 3 to 6m (9 ft 10 in to 19 ft 8 in) into several arching branches. The trunks of juvenile specimens are silvery white, until a fairly advanced age. The bark of old trees, with a light brown salmon to cream colour, is grooved at the base and peels off in large strips, revealing the new, very light bark. The young branches are reddish-brown and dotted with dark lenticels. The luxuriant, glossy, triangular leaves are deep green, turning golden yellow in autumn. The leaf blade is bordered by irregular teeth. This 'Heritage' variety flowers early and remarkably abundantly in April-May; it is distinguished by its particularly long male catkins, reaching up to 8 cm (3.1 in) long. It has a shallow root system, composed of secondary roots and numerous rootlets.

The 'Heritage' black birch is a very tolerant plant in terms of soil, as long as it is not too dry or excessively chalky. Its main attraction is its bark, but its imposing shape and medium size are real assets for medium-sized gardens, or even large spaces. As a street tree, it can also be planted in small groups of 3 specimens or in the centre of a flowerbed, surrounded by ground-cover perennials such as lungworts, Trachystemon orientalis, or a carpet of wood anemones. It lends itself to superb combinations with other plants that are particularly striking in winter, such as Cornus with its multicoloured bark or fragrant, winter-flowering Hamamelis and Sarcococca. Its autumn foliage will combine well with that of Nyssa sylvatica in boggy soil or on a pond edge, with deciduous viburnums (Viburnum lantana, V. opulus and its cultivars...) or Parrotia persica in drier and slightly chalky soil.