Bog birch | The Morton Arboretum

Family (English) Birch
Family (botanic) Betulaceae
Tree or plant type Shrub
Foliage Deciduous (seasonally loses leaves)
Native locale Chicago area, Illinois, North America
Size range Medium shrub (5-8 feet), Large shrub (more than 8 feet)
Light exposure Full sun (6 hrs direct light daily)
Hardiness zones Zone 2, Zone 3, Zone 4, Zone 5 (Northern Illinois), Zone 6 (City of Chicago)
Soil preference Alkaline soil, Wet soil
Tolerances Alkaline soil, clay soil, Occasional flooding, Road salt, Wet sites
Season of interest early winter, midwinter, late winter, late spring, early fall, mid fall
Flower color and fragrance Inconspicuous
Shape or form Mounded, Multi-stemmed, Open, Thicket-forming, Upright
Growth rate Moderate

Native geographic location and habitat:

C-Value: 10. Bog birch is found in wet, swampy marshes and bogs in the northern Midwest.

Bark color and texture:

Young bark is thin and reddish-brown with warty lenticels. Older bark becomes dark gray and peels with age.

Leaf or needle arrangement, size, shape, and texture:

Bog birch has alternate, fleshy, 1 1/2 to 2 inch oval to ovate leaves, with coarsely toothed margins. Leaves are medium green that turn yellow in the fall.

Flower arrangement, shape, and size:

Cylindrical female catkins are reddish color, while male catkins form along the same stems and are yellow.

Fruit, cone, nut, and seed descriptions:

The winged seeds are upright and cone-like.

Attracts birds, pollinators, or wildlife:

Numerous birds favor bog birch seeds in late fall.

Plant care:

Bog birch is a colony-forming shrub of bogs and lake borders. It must be planted in moist to wet areas with full sun. This shrub prefers alkaline soil, but it will tolerate some acidity. It has a shallow, fibrous root system that makes bog birch difficult to transplant. This shrub is relatively short-lived and difficult to find in nurseries.