River Birch 'Heritage': The Heat-Tolerant, Exfoliating Bark Star

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• Family:	Betulaceae (beh-tyoo-LAY-see-ee) (Info)
  Genus:	Betula (BET-yoo-luh) (Info)
  Species:	nigra (NY-gruh) (Info)
  Cultivar:	Heritage
  Additional cultivar information:	(PP4409, aka Cully)
  Hybridized	by Cully
  Registered or introduced:	1978

Overview

River Birch 'Heritage' (Betula nigra 'Heritage', PP4409, 'Cully') is the **most popular and widely planted cultivar of River Birch**, selected by Earl Cully in 1978 for its **superior, lighter-colored exfoliating bark, larger glossy leaves, heat tolerance, and resistance to bronze birch borer**. It transformed a southern bottomland tree into a national landscape star.

Bark: The Year-Round Show

The bark **exfoliates in papery, curling sheets**, revealing a **stunning palette of cream, salmon-pink, cinnamon, and gray**—lighter and showier than the species. It provides **four-season interest**, peaking in winter when the trunk glows against snow or evergreens.

Foliage, Form & Vigor

Leaves are **larger (3–4 inches), glossy, dark green, diamond-shaped**, turning **clear yellow in fall**. It grows **40–60 feet tall and 30–40 feet wide** with a **pyramidal to oval crown**, often multi-trunked. **Fast-growing (2–3 ft/yr).** 'Heritage' is **notably resistant to bronze birch borer** (the nemesis of white-barked birches in warm zones) and **tolerates heat and humidity** (Zones 4–9)—unlike paper birch.

Culture & Site Needs

**Full sun to part shade; prefers moist, acidic soil** (chlorotic on high pH). **Tolerates wet, poorly drained sites** (bottomland native). **Avoid dry, alkaline, compacted soils.** The gold-standard birch for the Midwest, South, and East: **beautiful bark, borer resistance, heat tolerance, and fast growth**. A four-season native masterpiece.