1. Common birch of the eastern United States having spicy brown bark yielding a volatile oil and hard dark wood used for furniture
   "The black birch's wintergreen-scented bark was once used for flavouring";
   - sweet birch, cherry birch, Betula lenta
    
2. Birch of swamps and river bottoms throughout the eastern United States having reddish-brown bark
   "black birch lined the banks of the stream";
   - river birch, red birch, Betula nigra

Derived forms: black birches

Type of: birch, birch tree

Part of: Betula, genus Betula

Encyclopedia: Black birch