River Birch vs Black Walnut - TreeTime.ca

River Birch vs Black Walnut

Betula nigra

Juglans nigra

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River Birch
Black Walnut

River Birch has beautiful, peeling, brown bark that reveals camel-colored and pink beneath. It is more borer resistant than white bark birches, which makes it a much longer-lived landscape tree.

The Black Walnut is a slow growing, large, straight-stemmed tree with an open crown. It produces dense, very hard, edible nuts.

Black Walnut has a deeply-furrowed, black bark. Its leaves are about 1 foot long, composed of 15 - 23 slightly stalked leaflets on a moderately stout stock which provide good dappled shade.

Despite being highly valued for its edible nuts and its shade tree aesthetics, it is rare to see this tree on the prairies.

Note: Black Walnut's roots produce a substance named juglone that is toxic to some other plants. Consider this when choosing where you plant a black walnut, as you will not be able to grow tomato, potato, cabbage, eggplant, blueberry, azalea, rhododendron, lilac, red pine and apple in the surrounding area.

Note: Plant this tree once. It will not respond well to transplanting.

Note: Although self-pollinating, planting two trees significantly improves nut production.

A top CO2 absorbing species. Experts think this tree may help climate change more than others.

River Birch Quick Facts

Black Walnut Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 3a
Height: 12 m (39 ft)
Height: 14 m (45 ft)
Spread: 5 m (16 ft)
Spread: 9 m (30 ft)
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: dry, normal
Light: full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: yes
Catkins: no
Bark: dark gray-brown or pinkish-brown and scaly
Nuts: corrugated nut with edible meat
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: slow
Life span: medium
Life span: long
Suckering: low
Suckering: low




Other Names: black birch, water birch
Other Names: american walnut