Tree of the day: Betula papyrifera, Paper-bark birch or paper birch or canoe-bark birch, Harris Garden
Betula papyrifera is a species of deciduous broadleaf flowering plants (in the Betulaceae or Birch family), native to northern North America.
Betula papyrifera is a species of deciduous broadleaf flowering plants (in the Betulaceae or Birch family), native to northern North America. Betula papyrifera is admired for its striking white bark that peels away in thin, papery layers. The bark beneath, and the bark of younger trees, can be orange or pink. Typically growing 15–25 metres tall, it has an open, rounded crown and ovate, serrated green leaves that turn bright yellow in autumn. In spring, the tree produces slender catkins. Paper-bark birch thrives in cool climates and well-drained soils, often colonizing areas after fire or disturbance. Historically, its bark was widely used by native peoples for making canoes, containers, and shelters, while today the tree is valued for ornamental planting, wildlife habitat, and its ecological role in early forest succession.
about this species
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This website is a virtual arboretum, created for interest, education and beauty. It exhibits some of the thousands of trees, of both native and exotic species, that grow in Whiteknights Park, the main campus of the University of Reading. Many of them have been planted since the university arrived in 1947, but some have been here since the 19th century or earlier, when Whiteknights was the gardens and parkland of large houses. More than a hundred of the trees are listed in The Tree Register, nine as British Isles champions (the largest or tallest of their species).
Please send any comments about this website to whiteknights-trees@reading.ac.uk.
The previous version of this website is here.
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank: Rupert Taylor, Owen Johnson, Alastair Culham, Jonathan Mitchley, Jordan Bilsborrow, Marcus Wheeler, Benoît Vannière, Miguel Teixeira and Claire Hawkins for tree identifications; Brian Hunt and Trevor Smith for testing routes and contributing text; Dylan Parkes, Martin Watts, Emilija Rudzinskaite, Brian and Trevor for collaboration on the centenary project; Dan Hodson for useful code examples; Studio Lift for website style; Brian, Trevor and Nathanaël van Twillert for comments and suggestions on website user experience; Benoît, Marcus, Steve George, Mark Wrightham, Brian, Trevor, the Friends of the University of Reading, and other friends for their encouragement during the development of the website; the University and its grounds staff for maintaining Whiteknights Park.