River Birch, (Black Birch), Betula nigra, Tree Seeds Fast Growth, Easy to Grow, Adaptable, Showy Bark, Fall Colors, Winter Interest, Shade Tree, Street Tree, Cold, Heat, Wetland, Drought and Urban Tolerant, Bonsai The River Birch is a fast growing, deciduous tree that grows 40 to 70 feet tall. It can be trained as a single trunk or multi-trunked tree with a pyramidal shape when young and grows more rounded as it matures. Native to the Eastern United States, it grows naturally along floodplains, swampy bottomlands and streams. Bark is pink to red-brown and exfoliates to reveal a lighter inner bark. Leaves are medium to dark green, 1.5 to 3.5 inches long and diamond-shaped, turning yellow in the fall. Flowers are monoecious with males appearing as 3 inch, drooping, brown catkins and females as smaller, inconspicuous, upright, greenish catkins. River Birches are extremely resistant to birch borer and basically trouble-free of most of the diseases and pests which plague other Birches. Leaf: Alternate, simple, pinnately-veined, rhombic to ovate, 1 1/2 to 3 inches long, conspicuously doubly serrate, with a wedge-shaped base, green above, paler and fuzzy below. Flower: Monoecious; preformed, reddish green, male catkins near the end of the twig, 2 to 3 inches long; female catkins upright, 1/4 to 1/2 inch long, light green, appear or elongate (males) in mid-spring. Fruit: Cone-like, aggregate, 1 to 1 1/2 inches long, with many hairy scales, reddish brown, containing many tiny, 3-winged seeds, ripen and break apart in the fall. Twig: Slender, orangish brown in color, smooth or slightly pubescent, with the terminal bud absent. Lateral buds may be slightly pubescent. No wintergreen odor when cut. Bark: Smooth on young trees, salmon to rust colored; developing papery scales, exfoliating horizontally with several colors (creamy to orangish-brown) visible; later developing coarse scales. Form: Medium size tree reaching up to 70 feet tall. The trunk generally divides low into several upright trunks. Other Names: Black Birch, Water Birch, Red Birch Zone: 4 to 9 Growth Rate: Fast Plant Type: Deciduous Tree Family: Betulaceae Native Range: Eastern United States Height: 40 to 70 feet Spread: 40 to 60 feet Shape: Pyramidal when young to Rounded with age Bloom Time: April to May Bloom Color: Brown, Green Sun: Full Sun to Part Shade Fall Color: Yellow Drought Tolerance: High Water: Medium to Wet Maintenance: Low Site Requirements /Soil Tolerances: Average, medium to wet soils. Most adaptable and heat tolerant of the Birches. Prefers moist, acidic, fertile soils including wet conditions, but tolerates drier soils. Adapts well to heavy clay soils and will tolerate poor drainage. Culture: Avoid pruning in spring when the sap is running. Uses: Specimen or small groupings, lawns, parks, commercial properties. Good for areas with wet soils along ponds, streams or in low spots. Sowing Betula nigra Seeds: The seeds of River Birch are very small. For best results, please follow the instructions in the order provided. Scarify: Soak in water for 6 hours. Stratify: Cold 30-60 days, 40 Degrees F in a Moist Medium. Germination: Surface sow indoors. Requires light for germination. Artificial light is recommended.For more information about seed pretreatment and growing trees and shrubs from seed, please download this .pdf:https://cdn.forestresearch.gov.uk/2007/08/fcpg018.pdf Germination: Seeds Packets are labeled with seed name and sowing details. Seeds have not been pretreated unless specified in the listing. Seed is not a specific Cultivar (Variety) unless specified in the listing. Due to the many factors involved in successful germination, Seller cannot be responsible for buyers growing methods or mistakes. I have provided what I believe to be a good overview on this page (which you are free to print for further reference), however, it is still recommended to check specialist literature for more details and practices specific to your climate and soil conditions to avoid mistakes in the germination and growing process. Shipping and Discounts: All items are set up to automatically discount as follows: Any promotional offers are discounted by using the “Add to Cart “only.To qualify for any discounts, items must be paid together, on the same eBay invoice.If paid separately, no discounts will be applied though seller reserves the right to ship together.If there are any questions or concerns about the amount due, please message me before paying so I can address all of your concerns before there is a problem. Buyer assumes responsibility once payment has been made. International Buyer’s: It is the buyer’s responsibility to know their countries customs laws. Plant and plant materials including seeds may be restricted from importing to your country. Please check with your customs agency and or post office before purchasing. Upon purchasing this item Buyer accepts the risk of item being confiscated and/or destroyed by customs and Seller will not be held liable for this. If you are on my exclusion list it is because: “Plant and plant materials including seeds” are restricted from importing to your country, it is enforced by your country and there is a high rate of customs checking for this. Import duties, taxes, and customs charges are not included in the item price or shipping cost. These charges are the buyer’s responsibility. Please check with your country’s customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to buying. Tracking is not available for International items. International mail varies from 10 to 30 business days (postal working days) and some countries require certain International items to be picked up at your post office. Upon processing your order, you will be sent a customs number, your shipping date and your shipping address, which you will need in order to retrieve it from your post office if you are required to do so. If these are not picked up in a reasonable time they may be returned or discarded. All mail items are subject to inspection by customs when crossing into another country. If stopped for inspection this will cause serious delays in receiving your item(s). You may or may not be notified of this. This may require you to pick up your package from your post office.