Sweet Birch in the Cranberry Wilderness, Pocahontas Co., West Virginia (7/8/2012). Unlike Yellow and River Birch, young Sweet Birch trees typically do not have flaking bark.

Photo by Jim Brighton MBP List

Sweet Birch bark at Dans Mountain, Allegany Co., Maryland (10/2/2012).

Photo by Matt Tillett MBP List

Sweet Birch (mature trunk) in Harford Co., Maryland (12/6/2015).

View Record Details Photo by Bill Hubick MBP List

Sweet Birch (mature trunk) in Harford Co., Maryland (12/6/2015).

View Record Details Photo by Bill Hubick MBP List

Sweet Birch in Harford Co., Maryland (4/26/2018).

View Record Details Photo by Josh Emm MBP List

Catkins of Sweet Birch in Allegany Co., Maryland (7/11/2014).

Photo by Jim Stasz MBP List

Sweet Birch growing in Allegany Co., Maryland (5/24/2018).

View Record Details Photo by Mark Eanes MBP List

The catkins of Sweet Birch in Garrett Co., Maryland (9/10/2013).

Photo by Jim Stasz MBP List

Sweet Birch catkins in Frederick Co., Maryland (8/28/2016).

View Record Details Photo by Richard Orr MBP List

Sweet Birch catkins in Harford Co., Maryland (4/26/2018).

View Record Details Photo by Josh Emm MBP List

Sweet Birch (catkins in winter) in Harford Co., Maryland (12/6/2015).

View Record Details Photo by Bill Hubick MBP List

Map Snapshot

87 Records

GA AL WA FR CL MO HO BA BC HA CE PG AA CV CH SM KE QA CN TA DO WI SO WO

Status

The range of Sweet Birch is mainly northern and along the Appalachians. In Maryland, this species is mostly limited to the western half of the state in the Piedmont and mountains. It is absent from the mid and lower Eastern Shore and rare in southern Maryland (Brown and Brown, 1972).

Description

The bark of Sweet Birch is a helpful identifying characteristic. It is dark (gray to nearly black). It eventually breaks up into large, thin, irregular, scaly plates. Horizontal lenticels are usually noticeable. The bark can sometimes be confused with that of Yellow Birch, but it does not exfoliate to the extent that Yellow Birch bark does.

Relationships

Suspected host plant for Chocolate Prominent Moth (Miller et al., 2018).

Seasonality Summary

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Resources

View at iNaturalist Search Google Images Search MBP Facebook posts

View at Maryland Plant Atlas Search Flora of North America Search Mid-Atlantic Herbaria Consortium Search Norton-Brown Herbarium Search MNPS Facebook posts

Citations

No citations linked for this taxon yet.

Use of media featured on Maryland Biodiversity Project is only permitted with express permission of the photographer.

Sweet Birch in the Cranberry Wilderness, Pocahontas Co., West Virginia (7/8/2012). Unlike Yellow and River Birch, young Sweet Birch trees typically do not have flaking bark. Media by Jim Brighton.

Sweet Birch bark at Dans Mountain, Allegany Co., Maryland (10/2/2012). Media by Matt Tillett.

Sweet Birch (mature trunk) in Harford Co., Maryland (12/6/2015). View Record Details Media by Bill Hubick.

Sweet Birch in Harford Co., Maryland (4/26/2018). View Record Details Media by Josh Emm.

Catkins of Sweet Birch in Allegany Co., Maryland (7/11/2014). Media by Jim Stasz.

Sweet Birch growing in Allegany Co., Maryland (5/24/2018). View Record Details Media by Mark Eanes.

The catkins of Sweet Birch in Garrett Co., Maryland (9/10/2013). Media by Jim Stasz.

Sweet Birch catkins in Frederick Co., Maryland (8/28/2016). View Record Details Media by Richard Orr.

Sweet Birch catkins in Harford Co., Maryland (4/26/2018). View Record Details Media by Josh Emm.

Sweet Birch (catkins in winter) in Harford Co., Maryland (12/6/2015). View Record Details Media by Bill Hubick.