Betula jacquemontii

Source: OSU Department of Horticulture

Botanical Name: Betula jacquemontii
Common Name: Whitebarked Himalayan Birch
Family: Betulaceae
Type of Plant: Deciduous tree
Habit: Pyramidal, upward branches.
Growth Rate: 
10-Year Height: 
Mature Height: 30-50'
Leaves: Alternate, simple, 5-7.5 cm long, rounded or slightly cuneate (wedge-shaped with straight sides) at base, margin double serrated, dark green above, glandular below, pubescent on veins, 7-9 vein pairs.
Flowers: 
Fruit: 
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: White "paper" bark on trunk and often on young branches.
Culture: Light to part shade, especially afternoon shade. Hardy to USDA Zone 5.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: bronze birch borer
Landscape Uses: 
Additional Information: jacquemontii: after Victor Jacquemont, French naturalist.
Google images of Betula jacquemontii

Betula papyrifera

Source: OSU Department of Horticulture

Botanical Name: Betula papyrifera
Common Name: Paperbark Birch
Family: Betulaceae
Type of Plant: Deciduous tree
Habit: Loosely pyramidal to rounded.
Growth Rate: 
10-Year Height: 
Mature Height: 40-50'
Leaves: Simple, alternate, 5-12 cm long, rounded or sometimes wedge shaped, glabrous above and pubescent on veins below, coarsely and usually doubly serrate, dull green in summer, yellow in fall.
Flowers: 
Fruit: 
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: After several years, lateral branches show chalky-white paper-like bark, peels easily.
Culture: Sun. Hardy to USDA Zone 2.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: 
Additional Information: 
Google images of Betula papyrifera

Betula glandulosa

Source: OSU Department of Horticulture

Botanical Name: Betula glandulosa
Common Name: Dwarf Birch; Scrub Birch; Bog Birch
Family: Betulaceae
Type of Plant: Broadleaf deciduous shrub
Habit: Shrubby, often spreading
Growth Rate: 
10-Year Height: 
Mature Height: 10'
Leaves: Alternate, simple, rounded to broadly elliptic, rather leathery, margin crenate-serrate or serrate, glabrous beneath, short petiole.
Flowers: 
Fruit: Fruit catkins 1.5-2 cm long, erect, wings of the nutlets narrower than the body.
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: Twigs with large resinous glands. Bark dark brown.
Culture: Hardy to USDA Zone 3.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: 
Additional Information: glandulosa: bearing gland
Google images of Betula glandulosa

Alnus rubra

Source: OSU Department of Horticulture

Botanical Name: Alnus rubra
Common Name: Red Alder
Family: Betulaceae
Type of Plant: Broadleaf deciduous tree
Habit: In the open, has a broadly conical shape with spreading branches. In the forest, has a straight trunk visible to a narrow, rounded crown.
Growth Rate: Fast
10-Year Height: > 20
Mature Height: 50 feet
Leaves: Alternate, simple, oval to rhombic, tapered from the middle to both ends, 8-15 vein-pairs, dull dark green above, grayish and pubescent on veins below, margin coarsely toothed, rolled under (revolute)
Flowers: Male (pollen) catkins in small clusters at stem tips. Female flower catkins visible in winter in small clusters below male catkins
Fruit: Mature seed catkins (cones) barrel-shaped
Buds/New Growth: Twigs triangular or rounded in cross section, buds stalked, 2-3 pubescent scales
Stem/Bark: Smooth, light gray, but usually almost white with lichens.
Culture: Sun. Tolerates infertile soil because it forms an association with a small soil bacteria, Frankia, resulting in root nodules that transform the tree into a nitrogen fixer. Likes moist soil.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: In the landscape, red alder is a favored host for tent caterpillars.
Landscape Uses: Fill in gaps in the landscape where soil is too wet for other plants. To harvest its awesome nitrogen-rich wood and leaves. To add nitrogen to the soil. Dividers along property lines. Erosion control. Firewood and smoking chips.
Additional Information: