Date Planted: 1998

Family: Betulaceae

Hardiness: Hardy in the Gorham, ME area; Zone 3b-7

Mature Dimensions: 25-40 feet tall by 15-20 feet wide

Habit: Pyramidal in youth; gracefully rounded in maturity, with low branches

Bark: Grayish brown and slightly peeling

Buds: Strongly divergent from stem, 1/8-1/4" long with overlapping scales; reddish brown

Leaves: Simple, alternate, oval-lanceolate, 2-5" long; dark green and rough textured; yellow-brown in the fall and drop quickly

Flowers: Monoecious; male catkins grouped in 3's and visible throughout winter, females appear in April

Fruit: 1/3" long nutlet, enclosed in an spiky ½" shell; appear in September, mature in November

Pests/Diseases: Problem-free

Reference Pages: Dirr M. 1998. Manual of Woody Landscape Plants. Stipes Publishing Co., Champaign, IL.