River Birch vs Water Arum - TreeTime.ca

River Birch vs Water Arum

Betula nigra

Calla palustris

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

CUSTOM GROW

River Birch
Water Arum

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.

Water Arum is a native perennial wetland plant known for its showy white oval sheaths (spathe) that surround a yellow-green, cylindrical flower spike (spadix). It has large, oblong, heart-shaped leaves on stems that rise above the water from shallow, spreading rhizomes. The blossoms are followed in late summer by tiny, pear-shaped fruits that ripen to bright red, adding ornamental interest to wet habitats.

Water Arum provides food for birds and small mammals that eat its berries, and its flowers attract pollinators. It can tolerate cold climates and forms colonies in shallow water and saturated soils. It is well-suited for ecological restoration, riparian planting, naturalisation, and habitat projects in wet and shaded environments.

River Birch Quick Facts

Water Arum Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 1b
Height: 12 m (39 ft)
Height: 0.2 m (0.8 ft)
Spread: 5 m (16 ft)
Spread: 0.2 m (0.8 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: shade, partial shade
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: wet
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: medium
Life span: medium
Life span: short
Growth form: colony-forming
Spreading: rhizomes - medium, seeds - low
Suckering: low


Toxicity: toxic if ingested
Bark: dark gray-brown or pinkish-brown and scaly
Flowers: white sheath around and yellow spike
Bloom time: spring to summer
Berries: red, in clusters
Seeds: tiny winged seeds located within the catkins
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: yes
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, PE
Other Names: black birch, water birch
Other Names: bog arum, swamp lily, wild calla, wild dragon