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When Do the Silver Birch Lose Their Leaves?

The silver birch tree (Betula pendula) is a native tree of western Siberia, Russia and Europe. Also referred to as the European white birch and weeping birch, the tree is widely naturalized in the northern United States and Canada. European birch is short lived; a number of its cultivars are used as ornamental plantings in landscapes. The tree loses its leaves at a certain time of the year.
  1. Leaf Fall

    • The deciduous foliage of the silver birch tree starts to turn yellow during fall. Leaves stay on the tree for an extended period following yellowing, eventually dropping by late fall, indicates the University of Connecticut Extension. Fall foliage of tree color ranges between yellow and yellowish green and is not as consistent as the fall color seen in other birch varieties.

    Leaf Description

    • The length of the alternate foliage ranges between 2 and 4 inches. The pinnate leaves are dark green in color and ovate in shape with tapered tips and wedge-shaped bases. Leaf margins are doubly serrated. The foliage surface is nonpubescent, and the upper surfaces are dotted with glands. Leaf width ranges between ¾ and 1 ½ inches. The twigs supporting the leaves are brown and warty textured.

    Tree Size

    • Silver birch trees have a mature height of 40 to 60 feet in cultivation. In their natural habitat, the trees can grow up to 100 feet tall. Younger trees have a pyramidal form and grow more oval with maturity with upright trunks and weeping, pendulous branches. Twigs and foliage are generally fine textured. The tree blooms in April in the form of catkins with the male catkins longer than the female. The showy tree bark is white with vertical black fissures.

    Growth Conditions

    • The tree grows best in the cooler regions of the United States and is hardy in USDA Zones 2 to 7. Plant in an area of full to partial sun and in well-drained, moist soil. Silver birch is easily propagated with seed started indoors during fall. Propagation with softwood cuttings during spring leads to exact replicas of the parent plant. The tree adapts to acidic soil and has a moderate level of tolerance for drought.