Other Names:  Chinese Red Birch

Description:

An often overlooked birch with captivating orange-copper bark that peels in thin sheets; grows quite large with a rounded form, a most attractive shade tree for the landscape

Ornamental Features

Chinese Paper Birch has light green deciduous foliage on a tree with a round habit of growth. The pointy leaves turn an outstanding yellow in the fall. The peeling orange bark is extremely showy and adds significant winter interest.

Landscape Attributes

Chinese Paper Birch is a deciduous tree with a more or less rounded form. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance tree, and should only be pruned in summer after the leaves have fully developed, as it may 'bleed' sap if pruned in late winter or early spring. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Chinese Paper Birch is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Shade

Planting & Growing

Chinese Paper Birch will grow to be about 50 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 40 feet. It has a high canopy with a typical clearance of 7 feet from the ground, and should not be planted underneath power lines. As it matures, the lower branches of this tree can be strategically removed to create a high enough canopy to support unobstructed human traffic underneath. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 80 years or more.

This tree does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This species is not originally from North America.