Sweet Birch (Black Birch)
Betula lenta
A handsome native birch with dark, cherry-like bark on young trunks and twigs that smell intensely of wintergreen — historically distilled for oil of wintergreen and birch beer. Needs cool, moist, acidic sites; like other birches it is prone to bronze birch borer when heat- or drought-stressed.
Field reference
Family
Betulaceae
Growth rate
Moderate
Mature size
40–60 ft tall, 35–45 ft spread
Hardiness zone
3–7
Soil preference
Moist, rich, acidic, well-drained soils; intolerant of heat and drought
Sun
Full sun to part shade
Pruning window
Summer or late dormant; avoid spring sap-bleed and beetle-attracting wounds
Wood properties
Heavy, hard, strong, close-grained birch (~0.60 SG) that darkens to a mahogany-like tone — a fine furniture wood. Sound limbs; twigs smell strongly of wintergreen when scratched.
Native range
Eastern North America, Maine and Quebec south through the Appalachians to Georgia
Green weight
57 lb/ft³
Pests & diseases to watch
Common questions
Why do sweet birch twigs smell like wintergreen?
The bark and twigs are rich in methyl salicylate (oil of wintergreen). Scratching a twig releases the strong wintergreen scent — a reliable way to distinguish sweet birch and yellow birch from other birches.
Why is my sweet birch struggling in a hot yard?
It is a cool-climate, moisture-loving species. Heat and drought stress invite bronze birch borer and decline; keep the roots cool, mulched, and watered, and avoid hot, exposed urban sites.
Related species in Betulaceae
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