European weeping birch Betulaceae Betula pendula Roth symbol: BEPE3 Leaf: Alternate, simple, pinnately-veined, ovate to nearly triangular in shape, 2 to 4 inches long, long pointed at the tip, with doubly serrate margins, green above and paler below Flower: Species is monoecious; preformed male catkins near the end of the twig, mostly in groups of 2 and 3; females upright, slender, light green, 1 inch long, appearing or elongating (males) in the spring. Fruit: Cone like, cylindrical, 1 inch long, deciduous at maturity releasing tiny, 2-winged nutlets; maturing in late summer and dispersed in early autumn. Twig: Twigs are slender, reddish brown in color and noticeably drooping, loighter colored lenticels are present, but do not result in a rough feeling twig (as in gray birch), buds slender, pointed, green and brown. Bark: Reddish brown with light lenticels when very young, later turning white, generally smooth but does peel a bit; the base of the tree develops thick bark which splits into narrow, vertical furrows which are nearly black. Form: A small to medium size tree up to 65 feet tall with an open, pyramidal crown with distinctly drooping fine branches. Looks like: river birch - paper birch - gray birch - Himalayan white birch Additional Range Information: Betula pendula is planted in the USDA hardiness zones shown above and is not known to widely escape cultivaton. More: Fall Color External Links: USDA Plants Database Horticulture © Copyright 2015, Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, all rights reserved. Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson