Birch Jackman White #25

THE JACKMAN WHITE BIRCH

The scientific name for the Jackman White Birch Tree is Betula Jacquemontii, or Jacquemontii Birch Tree. The Jackman White Birch is an upright, pyramidal tree typically grown as an ornamental and known for its bright white bark. Colorful yellow fall foliage provides fall and winter interest. Betula is Latin for birch and describes a genus of about 60 species of deciduous trees and shrubs found in many gardens and landscapes throughout the northern hemisphere. The Jackman White, Jacquemontii, is a variety of Betula utilis and is native to the western Himalayas (Kashmir to central Nepal). It is most noted for its exceptionally white bark. Although bark color can be variable, the bark from this variety is considered to be the whitest found on any birch and is sometimes commonly called white-barked Himalayan birch.

Jacquemontii is best grown in moist, acidic, sandy or rocky, well-drained loams in full sun to part shade. Best foliage color occurs in full sun; however, it casts a light shade into the area it is planted in so would be a great tree for a shade garden. This tree does best in cool northern climates like ours here in Michigan and where root zones are generally covered with snow throughout the winter. Keep the tree consistently moist and consider using soaker hoses and bark mulches to keep the root zones cool and moist. It needs little pruning, but if necessary, you can prune during the dormant season. Do not prune in winter or spring when the sap is running because it will bleed.

Birches are considered a "pioneer" species and, thus, tends to grow quickly when young. Tiny monoecious (male and female) flowers appear in early spring in separate catkins on the same tree. Greenish female flowers are followed by drooping cone-like fruits containing numerous small winged seeds that typically mature in late summer.

Mature Height: 30-50 feet tall

Mature Width: 20-35 feet wide

Habit/Form: Erect, Oval, Pyramidal

Growth Rate: Rapid

Bark Color: Bright White (Whitest Bark of any Tree), Peeling Bark

Leaf Color: Dark Lush Green

Light: Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) to Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)

Soil Texture: Clay, Loam (Silt), Shallow Rocky

Fall/Winter Interest: Yellow leaves that tend to stay most of the winter. Their leaves have a very distinct sound when wind is blowing over them.