Betula Papyrifera

A deciduous tree which tolerates a wide range of soils, Betula papyrifera is a robust pioneer species with a most attractive gleaming white bark, which peels off in papery strips to reveal an orange-brown bark underneath. Young plants have reddish brown trunks and stems that develop into the characteristic ‘papery’ bark. Yellow catkins appear from mid spring and the ovate, irregularly toothed, dark green leaves turn bright yellow in autumn.