Home
Garden Plants


About River Birch and African Iris


About African Iris and River Birch


What is

Life Span
Perennial  
Perennial  

Type
Tree  
Tender Perennial  

Origin
Mid-Atlantic United States, Southeastern United States, Central United States, South-Central United States  
Southern Africa  

Types
-  
Perennial  

Number of Varieties
3  
50  
99+

Habitat
bottomlands, Depression on prairies, ditches, Floodplains, Riverbanks, stream banks, Swamps  
Desert, Mediterranean region, Subtropical climates, Temperate Regions  

USDA Hardiness Zone
4-9  
8-10  

AHS Heat Zone
9-1  
10-8  

Sunset Zone
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24  
H1, H2, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24  

Habit
Oval or Rounded  
Clump-Forming  

Information

Plant Size
  
  

Minimum Height
1,220.00 cm  
33
61.30 cm  
99+

Minimum Width
1,220.00 cm  
14
30.50 cm  
99+

Plant Color
  
  

Flower Color
Yellow, Brown  
Yellow, Light Yellow, Brown  

Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor  
Bicolor  

Fruit Color
Black  
Green, Brown  

Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green  
Green, Gray Green  

Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Light Green  
Green, Gray Green  

Leaf Color in Fall
Yellow, Light Yellow, Tan  
Green, Gray Green  

Leaf Color in Winter
-  
Light Green  

Shape
  
  

Leaf Shape
Oval with a pointed tip and fine teeth along their edges  
Grass like  

Thorns
No  
No  

Season

Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter  
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter  

Growing Conditions
  
  

Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun  
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade  

Growth Rate
Fast  
Medium  

Type of Soil
Clay, Loam, Sand  
Clay, Loam, Sand  

The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral  
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline  

Soil Drainage
Average  
Average  

Bloom Time
Spring  
Indeterminate  

Repeat Bloomer
No  
Yes  

Tolerances
Wet Site, Pollution, Soil Compaction  
Drought  

Care

Where to Plant?
Ground  
Container, Ground, Pot  

How to Plant?
Seedlings  
Rhizome division, Seedlings  

Plant Maintenance
Low  
Medium  

Watering Plants
  
  

Watering Requirements
Requires a lot of watering, Requires regular watering  
Requires regular watering  

In Summer
Lots of watering  
Lots of watering  

In Spring
Moderate  
Moderate  

In Winter
Average Water  
Average Water  

Soil
  
  

Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral  
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline  

Soil Type
Clay, Loam, Sand  
Clay, Loam, Sand  

Soil Drainage Capacity
Average  
Average  

Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun  
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade  

Pruning
Prune in the late winter or spring, Remove dead or diseased plant parts, Shape and thin as needed  
Remove dead leaves  

Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, No need to fertilize every year  
Any balanced general purpose fertilizer  

Pests and Diseases
Aphids, Red blotch, Sawfly Larvae  
Nematodes, Scale  

Plant Tolerance
Pollution, Soil Compaction, Wet Site  
Drought  

Facts

Flowers
Showy  
Showy  

Flower Petal Number
-  
Single  

Fruits
  
  

Showy Fruit
No  
No  

Edible Fruit
No  
No  

Fragrance
  
  

Fragrant Flower
No  
No  

Fragrant Fruit
No  
No  

Fragrant Leaf
No  
No  

Fragrant Bark/Stem
No  
No  

Showy Foliage
Yes  
No  

Showy Bark
Yes  
No  

Foliage Texture
Medium  
Medium  

Foliage Sheen
Matte  
Matte  

Evergreen
No  
No  

Invasive
No  
No  

Self-Sowing
No  
Yes  

Attracts
-  
Bees, Birds, Butterflies  

Allergy
Asthma  
Skin irritation  

Benefits

Uses
  
  

Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes  
Showy Purposes  

Beauty Benefits
-  
-  

Edible Uses
No  
No  

Environmental Uses
Erosion control, Wildlife  
Ethnobotanic  

Plant Benefits
  
  

Medicinal Uses
-  
-  

Part of Plant Used
Whole plant  
Root  

Other Uses
used for making roof trusses, poles, joists, piles, Used in construction, Used in Furniture  
Roots were worn to protect and strengthen the wearer, Used as Ornamental plant  

Used As Indoor Plant
No  
No  

Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes  
Yes  

Garden Design
Feature Plant, Shade Trees  
Bog Garden, Container, Feature Plant, Mixed Border, Tropical, Water Gardens  

Scientific Name

Botanical Name
BETULA nigra  
DIETES bicolor  

Common Name
River Birch  
African iris, Fortnight lily  

In Hindi
River Birch  
African Iris  

In German
Fluss Birch  
Afrikanische Iris  

In French
Birch river  
African Iris  

In Spanish
river Birch  
Iris africano  

In Greek
ποταμός Birch  
Αφρικανική Iris  

In Portuguese
river Birch  
Iris africano  

In Polish
Rzeka Birch  
Afryki Iris  

In Latin
Betula  
African Iris  

Classification

Kingdom
Plantae  
Plantae  

Phylum
Magnoliophyta  
Magnoliophyta  

Class
Magnoliopsida  
Magnoliopsida  

Order
Fagales  
Asparagales  

Family
Betulaceae  
Iridaceae  

Genus
Betula  
Dietes  

Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids  
Angiosperms, Monocots  

Tribe
-  
Irideae  

Subfamily
-  
Iridoideae  

Number of Species
3  
300  
99+

Summary >>
<< Classification

Properties of River Birch and African Iris

Wondering what are the properties of River Birch and African Iris? We provide you with everything About River Birch and African Iris. River Birch doesn't have thorns and African Iris doesn't have thorns. Also River Birch does not have fragrant flowers. River Birch has allergic reactions like Asthma and African Iris has allergic reactions like Asthma. Compare all the properties and characteristics of these two plants. Find out which of these plant can be used as indoor plant. If you are interested to decorate your house and garden, find out aesthetic uses, compare them and select the plant which will beautify your surrounding. Along with beautification, try comparing medicinal and edible uses of River Birch and African Iris and you can choose the plant having best and most benefits.

Compare List of Trees

Season and Care of River Birch and African Iris

Season and care of River Birch and African Iris is important to know. While considering everything about River Birch and African Iris Care, growing season is an essential factor. River Birch season is Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter and African Iris season is Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. The type of soil for River Birch is Clay, Loam, Sand and for African Iris is Clay, Loam, Sand while the PH of soil for River Birch is Acidic, Neutral and for African Iris is Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline.

River Birch and African Iris Physical Information

River Birch and African Iris physical information is very important for comparison. River Birch height is 1,220.00 cm and width 1,220.00 cm whereas African Iris height is 61.30 cm and width 30.50 cm. The color specification of River Birch and African Iris are as follows:

Care of River Birch and African Iris

Care of River Birch and African Iris include pruning, fertilizers, watering etc. River Birch pruning is done Prune in the late winter or spring, Remove dead or diseased plant parts and Shape and thin as needed and African Iris pruning is done Remove dead leaves. In summer River Birch needs Lots of watering and in winter, it needs Average Water. Whereas, in summer African Iris needs Lots of watering and in winter, it needs Average Water.

List of Trees

List of Trees

» More List of Trees

Compare List of Trees

» More Compare List of Trees