Virginia Tech Dendrology

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 may seed into the landscape. Download the full-size PDF map.
More Information: Fall Color
External Links: USDA Plants Database - Horticulture Information - USDAFS Forest Products Lab
All material 2025 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information