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Every child knows the birch because its white bark is a real eye-catcher. There are more white tribes. We have put together seven native trees with light or white bark.
In a nutshell
- white bark a rare feature
- white and colored bark very decorative in autumn and winter
- light color protects against temperature changes in winter
- white bark color due to betulin
White tree bark
Few trees have bark as white as the birch. The reason for the unusual color is betulin, a white, chalky, water-repellent substance. Peel off the top skin of birch bark in one spot and you'll see. Betulin also prevents the trunk from overheating and losing moisture on hot summer days. At the same time, it has an antibacterial effect and protects against animal damage.
Trees with white bark from A to L
London Plane (Platanus acerifolia)
- Growth: 18 to 40 meters high with a broad crown
- Bark: whitish, yellowish or grey-brown, peels off in large lobes
- Leaves: 15 cm long and wide, palmate, alternate, long-stalked, dark green on top, lightly hairy underneath
- Flowers: male catkins pendulous, female catkins erect
- Fruits: Fruit balls with nuts, usually two nuts on a long stalk
- Flowering time: May
- Distribution: Central Europe, West Asia, North America, preferably in floodplain landscapes
Golden birch (Betula ermanii)
- Growth: 12 to 20 meters high, often multi-stemmed with a broad crown
- Bark: yellowish-white to pink-white, thinly unrolling, glandular
- Leaves: 4 to 8 centimeters long, stalked, glossy green above, slightly hairy underneath on the veins
- Flowers: yellow-green catkins
- Fruits: oval nut-fruit, 2 to 3 centimeters long
- Flowering time: April to May
- Distribution: Origin from Asia, increasingly common in Central European parks and gardens
Gray alder (Alnus incana)
- Growth: 10 to 25 meters high
- Bark: white-grey, smooth
- Leaves: 10 cm long, 5 cm wide, three to five lobes, petiolate green above, white below, felty
- flowers: male flowers independent, female flowers in the leaf axils
- Fruits: Grey-brown cones with winged nuts, 13 to 15 centimeters long
- Flowering time: March to April
- Distribution: Europe, mainly at the edges of water
silver birch (Betula pendula)
- Growth: 10 to 25 meters high with overhanging branches
- Bark: white with long bands of cork warts, later with longitudinal fissures, deeply grooved, black
- Leaves: 3 cm long, stalked, alternate, serrate margin
- Flowers: male catkins pendulous, female catkins erect
- Fruits: nut-fruit, winged all around, 2 to 3 centimeters long
- Flowering time: April to May
- Distribution: everywhere in Central Europe
Notice: The silver birch is also called white birch or sand birch. Their wood is used to make plywood.
from M to Z
downy birch (Betula pubescens)
Source: Семен Воловник, Betula pubescens var. pubescens Betulaсeae, edited by Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Growth: 5 to 30 meters high, multi-stemmed, with horizontally protruding or ascending branches
- Bark: dirty or reddish white, peeling off in rings, with longitudinal fissures in the lower area, black
- Leaves: 2.5 cm long, stalked, alternate, simple or doubly serrate margin
- Flowers: male catkins pendulous, female catkins erect
- Fruits: nut-fruit, winged all around, 2 to 3 centimeters long
- Flowering time: April to May
- Distribution: Widespread in moist locations in western, central and north-eastern Europe
Notice: The downy birch grows as a tree in the lowlands and as a large shrub in the mountains.
Norway birch (Betula pendula 'Dalecarlica')
Source: Kjell Bolmgren (SLU), Betula pendula 'Dalecarlica' 2, edited from Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Growth: 15 to 20 meters tall, upright, light crown with overhanging twigs
- Bark: white, thinly peeling, older trees with black longitudinal cracks, deeply grooved
- Leaves: 4 to 8 cm long, deeply slit, stalked, irregularly serrated edge, green above, white below, golden autumn colour
- Flowers: decorative yellowish catkins
- Fruits: nut fruit
- Flowering time: April to May
- Distribution: in northern and central Europe
Notice: The white, paper-like layers of birch bark were used for writing as early as the 11th century. Numerous texts written on birch bark were found in the Novgorod region. The first Buddhist scriptures were written on the bark of the Himalayan birch.
White poplar (Populus alba)
- Growth: 18 to 30 meters tall with a broad, mostly multi-parted crown
- Bark: whitish-grey, smooth, later splitting open
- Leaves: 10 cm long, 5 cm wide, three to five lobes, petiolate green above, white below, felty
- Flowers: yellowish-green catkins
- Fruits: Capsule fruit with many seeds
- Flowering time: March to April
- Distribution: everywhere in Europe, West Asia and Africa
Did you knowthat white poplars can live between 400 and 500 years? They then develop a trunk up to two meters thick.
frequently asked Questions
Why is the bark of fruit trees painted white in winter?Trees that do not naturally have white bark can be protected with a lime coat. The white color reflects the sunlight and prevents cracks in the bark, which can occur due to temperature fluctuations, especially in winter.
What is the difference between tree bark and bark?The bark of a tree constantly grows back. It protects the tree from drying out, but also from fungi and pests. Especially in winter, when wild animals find little food, they often peel off the bark. The peeling damages the tree. When the outer bark has died off, it is called bark.
Do all birches have light-colored bark?Birch species spread around the world have white or light-colored bark. The bark of young birches is often even darker. The white color and black cracks form with age.
Is betulin also used industrially?The antibacterial betulin, which can be obtained from birch bark, is used in the manufacture of lotions and creams. Since the Middle Ages, birch bark has been used to accelerate wound healing.
What can be the reason for the bark of beech trees turning white?The white bark fungus (Athelia epiphylla) can be the cause of white spots on the bark of beech and hornbeam, but also on maple, linden, spruce and poplar. With its mycelium, it forms white, palm-sized rings that flow into one another in high humidity.