This is proving to be the most adaptable river birch to dry and alkaline soil conditions in addition to be completely hardy in zone 3. So, no die back from winter injury and no iron chlorosis or the mortality that can cause. The parent tree is the largest of this species observed in the upper Northern Plains; it has a proven track record of over 40 years. Ivory colored with striking coppery-bronze exfoliations the bark is appealing year round. Resistant to borers as well.

With attractive lacey foliage that is very sweetly scented this makes an attractive, colonizing, small shrub that should be planted where it can be seen closely and easily touched to release its fragrance into the air. It has a long history of medicinal uses but is seen less frequently than deserved outside the North East.

The small, prickly, holly-like leaves of 'Coconino' are silver-gray; the tree is hardy and fully evergreen in Zone 5B and below. At maturity, the grafted tree should be about 20 feet tall. The silver-gray leaves and the black fissured bark of 'Coconino' make it a striking subject as either a specimen planting or in a group. It is very representative of the mixed oak/pine forests of the upper Southwest, a lovely reminder of hikes and camping trips on the Mogollon Rim in northern Arizona. Will do well across the West because of its region-adapted rootstock which is tolerant to high pH soils and arid conditions.

Toll Gate Canyon has attractive green, deeply lobed 4 leaves that take on a nice red hue in autumn. Except for its drought tolerance, this oak looks more like a typical white oak, albeit with pointed rather than rounded lobes because it is a multi-generational hybrid with Q gambellii. The smaller stature of ‘Toll Gate Canyon’, to 20', makes this tree applicable for nearly all spaces and landscapes in the Western US and SW Canada. It is grafted onto a highly adapted root stock which tolerates dry and alkaline soils, making it broadly adaptable to all western soils.