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. Betula grossa , or Japanese Cherry Birch, is a conical-shaped tree with cherry-like bark that turn dark grey. It is native to Japan where it is often found growing on slopes in woodlands. The tree casts light shade on understory plants and has shallow roots. It can be propagated by sowing seed in the fall or soft stem cutting in the summer. Japanese Cherry Birch tolerates a wide range of soil types, but prefers in moist, acidic, sandy loams in full sun to part shade. Best foliage color occurs in full sun, but if the plant is sited in an area of summer heat and humidity, it will appreciate afternoon partial shade. The plant does best in cool northern climates. It is not recommended for planting south of USDA Zone 7 and does best in zones 4 to 4. 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, but Japanese Cherry Birch will take 25 to 50 years to reach its full height of 25 feet.. 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. Diseases, Insects, and Other Plant Problems: Birches can become stressed by summer heat and humidity. Japanese Cherry Birches are resistant to the bronze birch borer which infects and kills many types of birch trees. However, it is susceptible to aphids, leaf miner and birch skeletonizer. Watch for leaf spot problems.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
Available space
24-60 feet
NC region
Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 20 ft. 0 in. - 25 ft. 0 in. | Width: 20 ft. 0 in. - 25 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
2 - Understory (15-40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Columnar; Conical; Pyramidal
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Deltoid; Ovate
Leaf margin
Doubly Serrate; Serrate
Leaf value
Showy
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Dark green leaves, 2 to 4 inches long and 1 to 2 inches wide. Bright yellow fall color.
Fall color
Gold/Yellow
Flower color
Gold/Yellow; Insignificant
Flower form
Catkin
Flower shape
Tubular
Flower detail
Monoecious catkin flowers appear early to mid-spring and are pollinated by wind. Male flowers are yellow; female are insignificant.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Brown/Copper; Green
Fruit type
Nut
Fruit detail
Female flowers give way to nut-like fruit containing winged seeds that disperse with the wind.
Bark color
Dark Brown; Dark Gray; Red/Burgundy; White
Bark detail
Young bark is smooth and white and resembles cherry bark with horizontal stripes becoming dark gray to brown or pink with age and exfoliating with thin papery curls. Bark on mature trees gets vertical fissures. Bark is aromatic with a scent of wintergreen.
Stem color
Brown/Copper; Gold/Yellow; Gray/Silver
Stem detail
Aromatic (wintergreen) young stems are yellow-brown aging to gray.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Central and Southern Japan
Wildlife value
This plant supports the larvae of Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilo glaucus). They have three flights from February-November in the deep south and March-September in the north. The adult Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterflies feed on milkweed, joe pye weed, wild cherry, and lilac.