Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Tree
Tree
Origin
Caribbean, South America
Mid-Atlantic United States, Southeastern United States, Central United States, South-Central United States
Types
-
-
Number of Varieties
103
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Primary Rainforest, Riverbanks, subtropical regions, Tropical regions
bottomlands, Depression on prairies, ditches, Floodplains, Riverbanks, stream banks, Swamps
USDA Hardiness Zone
10-154-9
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-9
9-1
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 22, 23, 24
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
Habit
Upright/Erect
Oval or Rounded
Plant Size
Minimum Height
850.00 cm1,220.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
40.00 cm1,220.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Light Yellow, Light Green, Ivory
Yellow, Brown
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Ivory
Black
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Green, Light Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Green, Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Yellow, Light Yellow, Tan
Leaf Color in Winter
Green
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Circular and deeply palmately-lobed
Oval with a pointed tip and fine teeth along their edges
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Average
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Spring
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
-
Wet Site, Pollution, Soil Compaction
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs
Requires a lot of 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, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Average
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Prune in the late winter or spring, Remove dead or diseased plant parts, Shape and thin as needed
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, No need to fertilize every year
Pests and Diseases
-
Aphids, Red blotch, Sawfly Larvae
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Pollution, Soil Compaction, Wet Site
Flowers
Insignificant
Showy
Flower Petal Number
-
-
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Bold
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Birds, Fruit Bats
-
Allergy
Antibacterial, Anti-inflammatory
Asthma
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Erosion control, Wildlife
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Antidiabetic, Asthma
-
Part of Plant Used
Bark, Fruits, Latex, Leaves
Whole plant
Other Uses
Used in making tea, Used in pies, cakes
used for making roof trusses, poles, joists, piles, Used in construction, Used in Furniture
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Feature Plant, Fruit / Fruit Tree, Mixed Border, Shade Trees, Tropical
Feature Plant, Shade Trees
Botanical Name
CECROPIA palmata
BETULA nigra
Common Name
Snakewood Tree
River Birch
In Hindi
Snakewood Tree
River Birch
In German
Schlangenholz -Baum
Fluss Birch
In French
Amourette Arbre
Birch river
In Spanish
Árbol de madera de serpiente
river Birch
In Greek
Snakewood Tree
ποταμός Birch
In Portuguese
Snakewood Tree
river Birch
In Polish
Snakewood Tree
Rzeka Birch
In Latin
Snakewood Tree
Betula
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Angiosperms
Magnoliophyta
Class
Eudicotyledoneae
Magnoliopsida
Order
Rosales
Fagales
Family
Urticaceae
Betulaceae
Genus
Cecropia
Betula
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
613
1
27800
👆🏻