river birch, (Betula nigra), ornamental tree of the family Betulaceae, found on river and stream banks in the eastern one-third of the United States. Because the lower trunk becomes very dark with age, the tree is sometimes called black birch, a name more properly applied to sweet birch (Betula lenta). See also birch.
Commonly 18 to 25 metres (60 to 80 feet) tall, river birch may reach 30 metres (100 feet) in the lower Mississippi River valley. The red-brown deeply furrowed bark on an old trunk breaks into ragged, closely appressed scales; the upper trunk and branches are smooth, salmon-pink to rose cinnamon, with a metallic lustre. The glossy dark green wedge-shaped leaves are unevenly double-toothed, with hairy veins below. The hairy flattened leafstalks are about 1 cm (0.4 inch) long. The tree’s fruits mature in late spring or early summer, in contrast to the fall ripening of other birches.
The fast-growing river birch has value in erosion control and as an ornamental and street tree. It grows well on moist well-drained soil but does not tolerate shade. It is fairly immune to disease or insect attack but is short-lived. The wood is used for furniture, woodenware, and turned articles.