“Betula pendula is one of the most commercially important tree species in northern Europe…”– Economic and Ethnobotanical Uses
Full plant, Betula pendula (Abedul, 2007)
Betula pendula was first described by Roth (1788) who named it for its hanging branches. Betula pendula has, depending on the source, 3-7 synonyms noted by the botanical community and upwards of 20 different subspecies (POWO, 2024). Currently, only three are recognized. This tree is also often referred to as the European White Birch, among other common names.
Betula pendula can easily be mistaken with the Paper Birch, Betula papyrifera, especially when the trees are young. Both have white bark that peels. It is much easier to identify mature trees where B. papyrifera has bark that peels in large sheets (as its common name implies) and reveals a brown underside while B. pendula is slightly flaky and the trunk is dark and furrowed at the base. The leaf shape is also notably different as B. papyrifera has ovoid leaves and an inconspicuous double serration while B. pendula have an overall triangular shape and a very distinct double serration on the margin (bplant, n.d.).
Even though B. pendula is monoecious, meaning that one tree has both female and male catkins, there are genetic barriers (self-incompatibility) in place that don’t allow for a single plant to pollinate itself (Vakkari, 2009).
Native
Introduced
Betula pendula is a temperate tree that thrives in woodlands on light soil. It has a fair climatic range but can be damaged by strong, cold winds. It grows well in acidic soils (Atkinson, 1992).
The extinction risk is of least concern (Stritch et al., 2014).
