Dwarf White Birch

Betula × minor

Dietmar Rabich

Taxonomy

Division:: Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants
Family:: Betulaceae
Genus:: Betula
Species:: Betula × minor

Growth Characteristics

Life Cycle:: Perennial
Growth Habit:: Shrub , Subshrub
Height:: 8-12 ft
Light Requirements:: Full Sun
Drought Tolerance:: High
Bloom Months:: apr, may
Bloom Colors:: White, Red, Green
Landscaping Shrub:: Yes

Native Range

United States: Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Canada: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec

Keystone Species Ranking

Caterpillar Keystone:: ★☆☆☆☆ Based on number of butterfly and moth species using this genus as host plant (Source: National Wildlife Federation)

Host Plant for Caterpillars

Acronicta dactylina, Acronicta impleta, Acronicta superans, Agonopterix gelidella, Alcoholic Plagodis (Plagodis alcoolaria), American Dagger Moth (Acronicta americana), Anagoga occiduaria, Anaplectoides pressus, Antispila argentifera, Apotomis sp., Arched Hooktip (Drepana arcuata), Argent and sable (Rheumaptera hastata), Attentive Dart (Eueretagrotis attentus), Banded Tussock Moth (Halysidota tessellaris), Barred umber (Plagodis pulveraria), Bethune's Pinion (Lithophane bethunei), birch skeletonizer (Bucculatrix canadensisella), birch tubemaker moth (Acrobasis betulella), black-and-white leafroller (Syndemis afflictana), Blinded Sphinx (Paonias excaecata), Brown-tail moth (Euproctis chrysorrhoea), Canadian Melanolophia (Melanolophia canadaria), Cecropia moth (Hyalophora cecropia), Cerastis tenebrifera, Chain-lined geometer moth (Cingilia catenaria), Clematis Sphinx (Sphinx luscitiosa), Clostera apicalis, coastal metarranthis moth (Metarranthis pilosaria), Coleophora serratella, Colocasia flavicornis, Colocasia propinquilinea, common gray (Anavitrinella pampinaria), Confused Morrisonia (Morrisonia confusa), Copper Underwing (Amphipyra pyramidoides), dark metanema (Metanema determinata), Dark-spotted Palthis (Palthis angulalis), Dasychira obliquata, Definite Tussock Moth (Orgyia definita), Dichomeris ligulella, Distinct Lichen Moth (Achatia distincta), dotted sparganothis moth (Sparganothis diluticostana), Double-lined Prominent (Lochmaeus bilineata), Duaria metarranthis moth (Metarranthis duaria), Eastern Tent Caterpillar (Malacosoma americana), Ectoedemia lindquisti, Egira dolosa, Enargia infumata, Eueretagrotis perattentus, Eufidonia discospilata, Eupithecia columbiata, Eupithecia georgii, Eupithecia lachrymosa, Eupithecia perfusca, Eupithecia ravocostaliata, eyed baileya moth (Baileya ophthalmica), Fall webworm (Hyphantria cunea), False hemlock looper (Nepytia canosaria), false prominent (Schizura leptinoides), Forest Tent Caterpillar (Malacosoma disstria), Forked Euchlaena Moth (Euchlaena tigrinaria), fragile dagger moth (Acronicta fragilis), Gluphisia septentrionis, Goldilocks moth (Lithomoia solidaginis), gray dagger moth (Acronicta grisea), Gray Furcula (Furcula cinerea), Great Ash Sphinx (Sphinx chersis), Green Cloverworm Moth (Hypena scabra), Gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar), Hare-Lip Dagger Moth (Acronicta lepusculina), Herald (Scoliopteryx libatrix), Heterocampa biundata, Hethemia pistasciaria, hibiscus Quaker (Orthosia hibisci), Hickory Tussock Moth (Anacamptodes humaria), Hickory Tussock Moth (Lophocampa caryae), Homoglaea hircina, hopping needle tortricid moth (Epinotia solicitana), Imperial Moth (Eacles imperialis), impressed dagger moth (Acronicta impressa), Infant Moth (Archiearis infans), Intermediate Hooded Owlet (Cucullia intermedia), Interrupted Dagger Moth (Acronicta interrupta), Io moth (Automeris io), Isabella tiger moth (Pyrrharctia isabella), Itame brunneata, Itame loricaria, Johnson's euchlaena moth (Euchlaena johnsonaria), Kent's Thorn (Selenia kentaria), Lacanobia radix, Lace-winged zale (Zale minerea), large looper moth (Autographa ampla), Large Ruby Tiger Moth (Phragmatobia assimilans), Large Tolype (Tolype velleda), Laugher (Charadra deridens), least-marked euchlaena moth (Euchlaena irraria), Leconte's haploa (Haploa lecontei), lemon plagodis (Plagodis serinaria), Lettered habrosyne (Habrosyne scripta), Linden looper (Erannis tiliaria), Luna moth (Actias luna), Lycia rachelae, Melanchra assimilis, Metarranthis sp., Morning-glory prominent moth (Schizura ipomoeae), Morrisonia latex, Nacophora quernaria, New England buck moth (Hemileuca lucina), Nites betulella, Norman's Quaker (Crocigrapha normani), Obliquebanded leafroller (Choristoneura rosaceana), Olethreutes zelleriana, One-spotted variant moth (Hypagyrtis unipunctata), Orange-tipped oakworm moth (Anisota senatoria), Oregon Cycnia (Cycnia oregonensis), Orthosia revicta, Painted Lichen Moth (Hypoprepia fucosa), Pale beauty (Campaea perlata), Pale Enargia (Enargia decolor), Paradiarsia littoralis, Peppered Moth (Biston betularia), Peridea ferruginea, Pine Hypagyrtis Moth (Hypagyrtis piniata), Pink-striped oakworm moth (Anisota virginiensis), Polia imbrifera, Polyphemus moth (Antheraea polyphemus), Porcelain Gray (Protoboarmia porcelaria), Promethea silkmoth (Callosamia promethea), Radcliffe's dagger moth (Acronicta radcliffei), Raphia frater, Red-humped caterpillar moth (Schizura concinna), red-humped oakworm moth (Symmerista canicosta), Red-washed Prominent (Oligocentria semirufescens), reflexella leafroller moth (Psilocorsis reflexella), reticulated sparganothis moth (Sparganothis reticulatana), rose sallow (Sideridis rosea), Rusty Tussock Moth (Orgyia antiqua), Saddled Prominent (Heterocampa guttivitta), Scorched Wing (Plagodis phlogosaria), Semiothisa ulsterata, sharp-lined tussock moth (Dasychira dorsipennata), Sidus sallow (Eupsilia sidus), Smith's Dart (Xestia smithii), spiny looper moth (Phigalia titea), Spiramater lutra, Spotted Tussock Moth (Lophocampa maculata), Spring cankerworm (Paleacrita vernata), stormy arches (Polia nimbosa), Symmerista leucitys, Syngrapha epigaea, tawny brown carpet moth (Anacamptodes ephyraria), three-lined leafroller (Pandemis limitata), Three-spotted sallow (Eupsilia tristigmata), Trichordestra tacoma, Twin-spotted sphinx (Smerinthus jamaicensis), Two-lined Hooktip Moth (Drepana bilineata), Umber Moth (Hypomecis umbrosaria), Unicorn caterpillar moth (Schizura unicornis), Unmarked dagger moth (Acronicta innotata), Variable Oakleaf Caterpillar Moth (Lochmaeus manteo), Variable Tussock Moth (Dasychira vagans), variegated midget (Elaphria versicolor), Wanton Pinion (Lithophane petulca), Warner's metarranthis moth (Metarranthis warnerae), Western tent caterpillar (Malacosoma californica), wheatear sallow (Lithophane fagina), white slant-line (Tetracis cachexiata), White Underwing (Catocala relicta), White-blotched Heterocampa (Heterocampa umbrata), White-dotted Prominent (Nadata gibbosa), white-fringed emerald (Nemoria mimosaria), White-headed Symmerista (Symmerista albifrons), White-marked Tussock Moth (Orgyia leucostigma), white-spot moth (Antaeotricha leucillana), white-streaked prominent (Oligocentria lignicolor), woolly gray (Lycia ursaria), Xylena curvimacula, Yellownecked caterpillar (Datana ministra), Compton Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis vau-album), Eastern Comma (Polygonia comma), Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus), Gray Comma (Polygonia progne), Green Comma (Polygonia faunus), Satyr Comma (Polygonia satyrus), Striped Hairstreak (Satyrium liparops), Viceroy (Basilarchia archippus), Western Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio rutulus)

Soil Requirements

Soil Type:: moist, well-drained, sandy loam
pH:: 5.0 - 6.5 (acidic to slightly acidic)
Drainage:: good drainage preferred
Moisture:: consistently moist
Notes:: Commonly found in swampy or wetland areas

Germination Information

Pre-treatment: Cold-moist stratification for 30 days at 1–5°C (34–41°F).; then Cold-moist stratification for 60 days.

Source: OpenAI GPT-4o