The Dawes Arboretum

Common name: gray birch, fire birch

Family: Betulaceae (birch family)

Distribution: n.e. North America

Habitat: Rocky or sandy open woods, moist to dryish slopes, old fields, and waste places; 100--600 m

IUCN Red list: Least concern

Hardiness: USDA Zone 3

Life form: Deciduous tree

Comments: This deciduous tree grows 20-30' high and about half as wide. Leaves are triangular in outline with long, tapering tips. It has an attractive, almost pendulous form, often growing with multiple trunks that develop dusky white bark. In some years it can have good yellow fall color. Does not tolerate competition, making it a good choice for naturalizing in sites too difficult for other plants.