Betulaceae -- Birch family

    H. E. Grelen

    The most beautiful of American trees-that's what Prince Maximilian  thought of river birch (Betula nigra) when he toured  North America before he became the short-lived Emperor of Mexico  (11). Also known as red birch, water birch, or black birch (15),  it is the only birch whose range includes the southeastern  coastal plain and is also the only spring-fruiting birch.  Although the wood has limited usefulness, the tree's beauty makes  it an important ornamental, especially at the northern and  western extremes of its natural range.