Birch there is something to love for, a slender white-trunk tree with refined foliage ligature, from time immemorial bringing invaluable benefits to people. On the territory of Russia, this forest-forming plant can be found everywhere - from Kamchatka to Kaliningrad. This tree easily populates areas of deciduous or mixed forests vacated after felling or fire.
Description of birch
Here you can find up to 60 species of this plant - from shrubs creeping above the ground to trees up to 45 m in height with a trunk diameter of up to 1.5 m. Birch bark in color it ranges from white to light yellow or pinkish. There are species with brown, brown and even black bark. The outer part of the bark, which easily separates with ribbons, is birch bark; at the base of the trunk of old trees, it is covered with cracks and takes on a dark crust.
Birch leaves they are symmetrical in shape, turn yellow by autumn, fall off in winter. The sedentary alternating buds of the tree are most often covered with sticky scales.
Birch earrings there are female and male. Male catkins are formed in the summer on elongated shoots. They are 2-4 cm long and are fused integumentary, thyroid scales, covered with a waterproof resin.
Female catkins are formed on shortened shoots. In the spring, both male and female catkins bloom, and the process of pollination begins. After which the female earring forms bump in the form of an oblong cylinder. In the cone, fruits ripen - nuts in the form of lentils, which by autumn fall out of the cone and are carried by the wind.
Thanks to its powerful root system birch easily tolerates any weather conditions, including permafrost. Most trees are light-requiring, but they do not impose special requirements on the soil, therefore they are found everywhere.
Note to gardeners
If you want to decorate your garden plot with this tree, then choose a place for it with loose, relatively moist soil enriched with humus in the vicinity of low-growing spruces and rose hips. Birch will oppress the rest of the plants, because it grows quickly and has the property of dehydrating the surrounding soils.
Application of birch
The fact that this plant has long and firmly entered our life, says an old Russian proverb - a riddle: “ There is a tree, the color is green. There are four benefits to this tree. The first benefit is health for the sick. The second is light from darkness. The third is decrepit healing. And the fourth is a well for people».
And yet there is birch brooms, which are invariably the main attribute of our primordial Russian baths. The broom is not just a tribute to tradition. Biologically active enzymes contained in birch foliage penetrate through the enlarged pores of steamed skin and help us get rid of colds and inflammation.
Birch torch for more than one century it was an invariable component of Russian life, its light most often illuminated peasant dwellings. Here is your second answer. However, you can guess it in another way. Let's remember birch bark letters, which, thanks to the presence of resinous substances in them, have survived to this day and told a lot about our ancestors. Why isn't the light of history for you?
The third answer also hints at birch bark. The fact is that in the old days broken pots were held together with birch bark. In addition, birch bark and birch wood are still used in folk crafts for the production of household items - children's carved toys, cigarette cases, tuesques, boxes, ladles, baskets, in the old days - bast shoes. Only old birches (from 60 to 100 years old) are suitable for ornamental material.
For firewood(and birch is considered the best material for heating) you can take wood of any age.
Do you know that birch laid the foundation for Nevsky Prospect? In St. Petersburg, where the Admiralty Garden is now adorned, four rows of birches were planted.
The Celtic horoscope of the Druids consists of 22 plants, including birch.
In the Old Slavic calendar, March is named after a birch, this name is still preserved in the Ukrainian and Czech calendars.
White birch
Under my window
Covered with snow
Like silver.
These are lines from the most famous poem about a birch, sung by S. Yesenin in 1913. It was not only Yesenin who sang the birch, everyone knows the Russian folk song “ There was a birch tree in the field”, The first written publications of this song date back to 1790. Works about this tree were included in the albums of such performers as VIA "Pesnyary" and even in the famous 1981 American album by Mikhail Gulko. Translated from Icelandic, the name of the singer Bjork means "birch"
A commemorative Russian coin dedicated to the city of Veliky Ustyug depicts a birch. This tree can often be found in heraldry.
For the manufacture of one of the most magnificent eggs of the famous Faberge in 1917, Karelian birch was used.
In 1964, a network of famous currency stores called "Birch" appeared in the USSR.
Until the end of the twentieth century, there was a military camouflage in the USSR, also called part of the birch tree.
In Soviet times, birch sap was harvested on an industrial scale in the northern regions of Ukraine and throughout Belarus. There were even whole factories that procured and preserved birch trees and cultivated this tree.
In one of the works of E. Permyak, it is said about attempts to produce sparkling birch wine in Sverdlovsk in 1936.
The ancient Russians believed that the gods gave the birch to people as a talisman, so some linguists associate her name with the name of Beregin, the Old Slavic goddess - protector.
Until now, birch can tell a favorable sowing date, predict the weather, and the types of harvest are better than anyone:
- a lot of birch trees - wait for a rainy summer,
- birch gave leaves before alder - wait for a dry summer,
- the birch has turned green - it's time to sow oats.
Birch in Slavic mythology
Almost all ancient Slavic peoples associate this tree with femininity, purity and chastity... During matchmaking, birch branches carried the symbol of the bride, and oak branches - the groom. And when the first-born was born in a young family, a birch should be planted next to the house, which will save all households from troubles, bring health, happiness and prosperity to descendants. There was a custom to bring a sick girl to a birch tree for healing.
In Polissya villages, on the contrary, they avoided birches near dwellings, because such a neighborhood could lead to diseases of the female half of the house, and the growths on the tree trunk spoke of induced damage. There was also a tradition to cover the body of a deceased woman with birch branches.
The ancient Slavs inextricably linked this tree with the souls of the dead.... For them, birch was a kind of bridge connecting the real and otherworldly worlds. On Green Christmastide, a week before Trinity, it was believed that the spirits of the deceased came for some time to the real world and settled in the young foliage of birches. This is the origin of the tradition of decorating the doors to the hut on the Green Christmastide with the greenery of this tree. This was done so that the souls of deceased parents would visit their descendants.
There was another custom - to plant young birch trees near the house and install buckets of water nearby so that the ancestors had where to visit and what to wash themselves with. To prevent the spirits of the dead from getting lost, birch branches were laid out on both sides of the porch. Visiting the dead and in cemeteries was a must on these days. Memorial breakfasts were brought there, among other food there were eggs painted with birch greenery. They swept the graves with birch brooms, then they opened the eyes of the dead, sticking birch branches into the grave, and when leaving, taking out the branches, they closed their eyes. Our ancestors believed that this helps them communicate with the dead.
Poles believed that the souls of tragically dead young girls lived in lonely birch trees. A casual traveler, passing by such birches at night, could get into trouble. Indeed, in the moonlight, the souls of the girls left their refuge and could invite him to dance. After such dances, the unfortunate man was found dead in the morning.
The Belarusians believed that the souls of innocent people were buried under the twisted birches.
In some beliefs, witches can take not sap from the trunk from a birch tree, but milk from the branches, and fly on birch sticks, not counting brooms. The gifts of the unclean have always turned into crooked birches (horses), now into bark (bread). And if an unclean man possessed a woman, then the first thing during an attack she was thrown at a birch.
You will be interested in this video telling about trees and folk signs:
Birch is present in Old Slavic epics and legends... Our peoples repeat from one fairy tale to another the story of how a mermaid, having come out on land, became a birch tree.
For example, in a forest lake there lived a beautiful little mermaid, who, in the light of the moon, loved to walk along its banks. She was allowed to take walks only until the first rays of the sun. But once, carried away, the little mermaid broke this rule and did not notice how the radiant god Khors - the sun - appeared in the sky. Khors had never seen such girls on Earth and immediately fell in love with her. The infrequent tried to hide in her native lake, but nothing came of it, Khors did not want to let her go and turned her into a thin birch tree with branches drooping like the wonderful hair of a mermaid.
Description: the most common tree species in the Northern Hemisphere. There are about 120 species in the genus throughout the northern hemisphere from the subtropics to the tundra, of which 40 are wild in the former USSR and about 25 introduced into cultivation. The most common of our deciduous species.
Trees up to 30 (45) m tall and old trees up to creeping trees. The bark is usually smooth, covered with a layer of cork tissue, birch bark, exfoliating in thin plates, usually white, yellowish or pinkish, in some species it is gray, brown and even black; leaves petiolate from round de lanceolate, whole (rarely lobed), toothed; flowers in catkins, fruits - single-seeded nutlet, 1-5 mm long, flatly compressed from the sides, with 2 membranous wings. The weight of 1000 fruit trees is from 0.1 g (in B. poplar) to 1.2 g (in B. black). The yield of pure seeds is 15-40%. The maximum age of most birches does not exceed 100-120 years, in B. yellow - 150 years, some trees reach 300 years. Most birches are completely frost-hardy, with the exception of the Himalayan-Chinese, some Japanese and American black birches, which are more demanding for heat.
Beautiful deciduous trees or shrubs with a transparent, transparent crown and often with thin, hanging branches and light-colored trunks. In addition to the well-known and widespread in the temperate zone, white-barked birches with long catkins and dense ovoid-rhombic or triangular-ovoid leaves, there are groups of species of a completely different appearance.
For example, with round-ovoid fertile catkins directed upwards (woolly birch, Erman birch); with ovoid or oblong-ovate leaves (ribbed birch, Schmidt birch, cherry birch); with unusual color bark (Daurian birch, ribbed birch, yellow birch, cherry birch, etc.). Almost all species are photophilous, undemanding to the richness of the soil, but they do not tolerate compaction and trampling well. They are characterized by rapid growth, tolerate city conditions well, provided they are planted on a strip of lawn, very frost-resistant.
In our forests near Moscow, Tver or Murom, not one species of birch lives, but two. it warty, or drooping birch(Betula verrucosa, aka B. pendula) and fluffy birch(B. pubescens). The first lives in relatively dry forests - on the edges, overgrown fields and pastures, and the second is a mainly marsh species. However, both species often grow together and it is not easy to distinguish between them - except that the leaves of a warty birch are sharper, and fluffy (as you might guess) - pubescent. The trunk of a fluffy birch is smoother and whiter, but the warty one lives almost twice as long, up to 120 years.
The main differences between drooping birch (1) and fluffy (2) from each other:
Trunk: 1 - white almost to the base and almost no cracks even at the bottom, 2 - in the upper part of the bark is white, and in the butt - with many cracks and a thick layer of coarse bark along the edges.
Crohn: 1 - wide with branches raised upward, 2 - with shoots hanging down.
Sheet: 1 - rounded, 2 - rhombic.
The drooping tree has young shoots with many warts. In autumn, the leaves of both turn yellow.
Why should birch be white? Indeed, after all, evolution did not create this amazing device - birch bark for admiration, did it? To find the answer to this question, you need to pay attention to exactly where the whitest birches in the world grow. So, paper birch- an inhabitant of the Appalachian Mountains of America, useful- Himalayas, and fluffy- the mountains of Scotland and Scandinavia. And this is clearly no accident. The fact is that in the mountains there is very harsh ultraviolet radiation, and it is for its reflection that plants have "learned" to protect the trunk with a white mirror over millions of years. It is amazing that some eucalyptus trees that live in sunny Australia have gone exactly the same way - their trunks are bright white.
But are all birches white? A completely unusual tree lives in the foothills of Eastern Tibet - chinese white birch(B. alba-chinensis). It is not very clear why it was called white - after all, its birch bark is painted in an incredible brownish-pink color! Unfortunately, here she still lives only in botanical gardens, and even there her young shoots sometimes suffer from too harsh winters.
But the situation with the color of the trunk is even more complicated - it turns out that there are many types of black birches. They differ very significantly from those we are accustomed to, not only in that their trunks are painted in dark tones and are often completely devoid of birch bark. The ecological requirements of these birches are also completely different. If the white birches we are used to are the most "children of the Sun" (they germinate only in open spaces and shading from the side of tall spruces or pines kills them), then black birches are real forest trees. They often live in the lower tier of forests formed by other trees, and do not germinate in open clearings at all, but on mossy fallen trunks in the shade of the forest. American black birch(B. nigra), like its Asian relative dahurian birch(B. davurica) are not yet the most typical representatives of these amazing trees. Much more bizarre are the trunks of the North American cherry birch[V. lenta]. This low tree grows slowly, but reaches an astounding age for birches - up to three hundred years. Apparently, it was named "cherry" for the similarity of the trunk to the trunks of old cherries - they are just as dark and there is no birch bark on them at all. Its leaves are not at all like the leaves of our ordinary forest birches, they are rather similar to the leaves of some distant relative of birches like a hornbeam, and this is completely true. Scientists believe that it is black birches that are the ancestral group of the entire vast genus, and their descendants acquired white trunks much later, having moved to the mountains. The fruits of black birches are also unusual - they resemble more cones of conifers than catkins.
Black birch wood is extremely hard, it was even used for the manufacture of machine parts, which, combined with its slow growth, led to disastrous consequences. So, in our Far East it has become a rare species and is listed in the Red Book birch Schmidt(B. schmidtii), and in the United States, B. uber, which previously lived in the mountainous Pennsylvania, has completely disappeared into the wild and is now preserved only in botanical gardens.
It is clear that if there are already adult birches on the site, then the problem of choosing one or another species and variety is not worth it. If there are no birches, and you just decided to plant them on the site, then keep in mind that their diversity is now extremely large. The size of the species and varieties sold varies from 70 cm in height (!) To 20-25 meters, the leaf size is from 8 mm in diameter to huge leaves for birch - 15 cm long, the color of the bark is far from always white, but may be brown. yellow, black, beige and sometimes even pinkish. Some plants have an autumn color; some - no, some grow quickly, some slowly, some turn into spectacular tapeworms, and some are quite slender and require planting only in a group.
In some species, the decorative characteristics are such that they are read only from a close distance (peeling bark, heavily cut leaves, etc.) and, accordingly, they require planting only near the observer. In some, on the contrary, the entire decorative effect is noticeable only from a distance (the shape of the crown, its openwork ...) and they need to be planted at a distance equal to at least two or three tree heights.
But not everyone goes to plant decorative forms and varieties of birches, some express a desire to plant the most common, already described above, hanging or fluffy birch. First of all, remember about their final sizes, which significantly exceed the sizes of their varietal counterparts. When they are already there is one thing, but when choosing to land, you need to think carefully.
| Warty birch, or drooping-V. verrucosa Ehrh.= B. pendula Roth
Distributed throughout the European part of Russia and beyond the Urals to the Ob River. Photophilous mesophyte, microtherm, mesotroph, edificator of primary small-leaved forests of Western and Central Siberia, anthropogenically progressive unstable edifier of temporary secondary communities in burnt-out areas and clearings, and an assembler of coniferous and broad-leaved forests. One of the most popular birches, without which landscaping in Russia is indispensable.
The tree is up to 20 m tall, with an openwork, irregular crown and smooth, white, flaking bark. In mature trees, the lower part of the trunk is covered with a thick blackish crust, with deep cracks, in this it differs from most white-bore birches. The branches are mostly drooping, young shoots are warty. Leaves are rhombic, glabrous, up to 7 cm, resinous, sticky in youth. The earrings are drooping. The fruit is an oblong-elliptical winged nut. It grows quickly, hardy, undemanding to soil, very light-requiring, drought-resistant. In culture for a very long time. Seed germination is high. The cuttings are poorly rooted.
Growth dynamics of drooping birch(fluffy has similar indicators): Living up to 100-120 years, it continues to grow in height up to 50-60 years, in thickness up to 80 years. During this period, the growth rate changes so in the first 5-6 years, the growth in height is moderate, subsequently increases significantly and, starting from about 10 years, reaches 75-90 cm per year. The final size is about 20 m in height. Keep in mind that it also begins to bear fruit around the age of 20, and birch is a pioneer breed. This means that it throws out a great many seeds immediately on the vacated territories (for example, after a forest fire, and in the garden after digging a site), thereby occupying an area and preventing anyone else from germinating. And only then, in the process of competitive struggle, only a few plants remain from these seedlings, which continue to grow in the territory free of other species. In fact, this is not such a problem, since the seedlings are quite easy to pull out. In part, the growth of large birches can be limited. Despite the fact that in the domestic literature the possibility of pruning birch is often excluded altogether, it is still possible. Birches are often cut in Scandinavian countries. They cut off the top and part of the lateral branches. As a result, the crown thickens, the size of the plant decreases. However, this can only be done with plants that are in the stage of active growth, that is, these are only young plants (trunk diameter up to 15-20 cm). If you cut an old birch in this way, then you will have a bare trunk on the site. But young people also have some problem with pruning. The crown thickens and looks spectacular only in summer, but when the foliage flies around, we see a not very beautiful arrangement of skeletal branches (unnatural). So if this is a dacha, then there is no problem, but if the house is for year-round living, it makes sense to think carefully. Many still remember birch when they talk about roof gardens. Everyone remembers young birch trees growing on the walls of ruined temples and the roofs of old estates. But we must understand that it is precisely because of its pioneering, which we have already discussed above, that birch sows dilapidated buildings with millions of seeds. Of this million, a very small percentage of seeds penetrate into the cracks, even less into those cracks where moisture gets, some of the remaining ones die, since there is water, but there is no substrate. In the substrate and with water, seedlings begin to develop, but even less of them remain after the first winter, when many die from freezing of the root system. And so year after year. Has anyone seen a mature tree on the wall or roof? If you have seen it, then this is the same case for a million, and there is no guarantee that the birch tree you purchased in the garden center, solemnly erected on the roof, will be identical to the one remaining out of a million. It has several forms, of which the most decorative: pyramidal(f. fastigiata) - with a narrow pyramidal crown; funeral(f. tristis) -with very thin weeping branches forming a rounded crown; cabin boy(f. Youngii) - with an irregular, picturesque crown, with thin drooping branches; purple(f. purpurea) - with purple leaves; var. carelica (Merckl.) Haemet-Ahti- B. p. Karelian. A tree with six growth forms - from creeping to upright. Protected in reserves. Occurs within the range of the main species from Belarus and to the north. Cultivated in botanical gardens and grown in nurseries. In GBS since 1949, 5 samples (35 copies) were grown from seeds obtained from St. Petersburg and Karelia. In the arboretum, trees, height from 4 m to 18 m. They plant, bloom and bear fruit at the same time as the species. Full winter hardiness. Seed germination is low. The cuttings do not take root. A beautiful park tree, effective in single and group plantings on the lawn. Karelian birch does not differ in special external beauty, but its intricately twisted wood is strikingly beautiful. In fact, Karelian birch is not even a separate form of the main species, but the result of infection with a certain type of mushroom, which occurs at a young age. Although the mushroom does not kill such a tree, it turns into a giant "witch's broom". Unfortunately, there is a difficulty in reproduction of Karelian birch - and this is one of the problems of its distribution. Otherwise, she would have long ago settled tightly in our gardens. When trying to sow, you have to wait a very long time in order to discard a non-form (for some, more than 10 years). One of the most successful methods is grafting, and now it is still not a very widespread method of microclonal reproduction. "Youngii". The height largely depends on the height of the graft, but often no more than 2-4 m. It has an umbrella-shaped crown. The main branches are spreading or curved. The terminal branches are very thin and drooping, the crown is irregularly shaped. Plants develop very differently and can meet both very picturesque specimens, and those that look extremely unnatural. Due to its size, it is good for a small garden. Often found in culture in botanical gardens in Europe. In GBS since 1973, 1 sample (1 copy) was grown from planting material obtained from Kiev. At 16 years old, height 8.6 m, trunk diameter 13 cm. It grows, blooms and bears fruit at the same time as the species. Growth rate is average. Full winter hardiness. Seed germination is high. "Aurea"... This slow-growing tree, up to 10 m high, has very beautiful shiny golden yellow leaves. Their color is especially bright in spring and early summer, and later they turn greenish-yellow. It has no autumn color. Flowers - yellow earrings, appear in May. Openwork crown with falling branches, white trunk. It grows rather slowly. "Crispa". A tree up to 10-15 m high. A slender graceful tree with hanging branches and deeply dissected leaves that turn yellow in autumn. Sometimes considered a synonym for the" Dalekarlik "form, but the latter is not as weeping as this one. "Fastigiata". A tree up to 10 m high has a columnar crown shape, especially in youth. With age, the crown fluffs up somewhat, but retains its vertical structure. All its branches are directed almost upward, as they are located at an acute angle to the trunk. "Golden Cloud"... A tree up to 10 m high with leaves of a deep yellow color, when blooming with a peach-orange tint. The leaves are often sunburned and can suffer from a condition that causes them to fall prematurely. "Gracilis". A tree up to 10-15 m high. The shape is very similar to the shape of" Laciniata ", but has smaller, graceful, delicate, deeply dissected leaves and a very weeping crown shape. In general, among all split-leaved forms, the most delicate, light and air. "Laciniata". A tree up to 15 m high. A tree with an openwork crown, drooping shoots and rather deeply dissected leaves. Grows slower than the main species. In severe winters, annual shoots freeze slightly. "Purpurea"It is a slow-growing tree up to 10 m high with purple leaves, drooping shoots and a rather loose crown. The dark purple color of the leaves is especially evident in early summer. The plant looks unusual due to the contrast of the white trunk and dark color of the leaves. In autumn, the leaves do not change color. The crown is narrow, smaller than that of the original species. In the crown, recurrent shoots with ordinary green leaves often appear, which must be removed. Single plants look extremely slender and it is better to use them in groups of 3 pieces. In GBS since 1959, 1 sample ( 7 specimens) grown from seedlings obtained from the Netherlands. Currently, height 15 m, trunk diameter 14 cm. It grows, blooms and bears fruit at the same time as the species. Growth rate is average. Winter hardiness is average (in severe winters it partially freezes 15% of cuttings are rooted. There are also varieties " Nigra" and " Bibor"- also with dark purple leaves. Both of these forms originated from the b. item" Purpurea "and are in many ways similar to it. However, their foliage is much richer in color and at the same time more persistent, not so much green by mid-late summer, as a form of "Purpurea". "Tristis". The tree is up to 8-10 m high. It has a very weeping crown shape. The branches are thin, drooping vertically down, hanging almost to the ground and can be up to several meters long. In autumn, the leaves turn yellow. "Trost "s Dwarf". A tree up to 1.5 - 2 m high. A tree or shrub with slender winding shoots, which is important and rare for birch dwarfs, white bark and heavily dissected leaves. Slow-growing openwork plant. Very good option for a small garden.
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Betula pendula "Artopurpurea" 
 Paper birch-V. papyrifera Marsh.
Eastern and Central regions of North America. Grows in all types of forests, swamps and river valleys. More unpretentious than B. pendula. Photophilous mesophyte, mesotherm, microtroph. The culture is found widely in Europe, Asia and North America. Powerful tree up to 30 m tall, with a wide dense crown. The bark of the trunk is bright white, in young trees it is pinkish, easily peels off in sheet-like, transverse stripes. It got its name "paper" for the whiteness of the bark. Old birch bark peels off from the trunks in huge pieces, really resembling sheets of tissue paper. Young shoots are fluffy, later glabrous, dark brown, shiny. Leaves are ovoid, large (up to 10 cm long). In GBS since 1965, 6 samples (22 copies) were grown from seeds obtained from botanical gardens in the USA and Canada. At 27, height 10.7 m, trunk diameter 27.8 cm. The plant grows from the second half of April to early October. The growth rate is high. Blooms in late April. The fruits ripen in October. Full winter hardiness. Seed germination is high. It is frost-resistant, unpretentious to soils, but more moisture-loving and shade-tolerant than warty birch. Despite the great similarity, both birches are so different from each other that they can be planted in joint groups. Interesting for park construction in single, group and alley plantings. In culture since 1750. var. subcordata(Rydb.) Sarg... - B. b. semi-heart-shaped. Tree up to 7 m tall. Northern and Central regions of North America. Grows in a mixture with other breeds. Photophilous mesophyte, mesotroph, microtherm. It is rarely found in culture. In GBS since 1953, 2 samples (5 copies) were grown from seeds obtained from St. Petersburg and Lausanne. At 40 years old, height 17.4 m, trunk diameter 24 cm. The plant grows from mid-April to late September-early October. The growth rate is average. Blooms from 5 years old, in mid-May. Fruiting from 11 years old, the fruits ripen in mid-August. Full winter hardiness. The cuttings are poorly rooted. Photo of Kirill Tkachenko |
 Cherry birch- B. lenta L.
A very decorative North American look. East of North America. Grows in mountains mixed with other deciduous species, found in rocky habitats. Prefers deep, moist, well aerated soils. Photophilous mesophyte, mesotroph, micro-mesotherm. Cultured in Europe, North America. Tree up to 25 m tall, in youth with a pyramidal crown, in adult plants - with rounded, hanging branches. The bark of the trunk is dark, cherry-red (hence the name “cherry”). Young shoots are slightly pubescent, later glabrous, red-brown. Its oblong-ovate, large, beautiful leaves are remarkable (12 x 5.5 cm). In youth, they are silky, pubescent, adults - bright green above, shiny, below dull green, pubescent along the veins; become reddish-yellow in autumn, very effective. In the spring it attracts attention with its abundant, long staminate earrings. This low tree grows slowly, but reaches an astounding age for birches - up to three hundred years. In GBS since 1957, 7 samples (18 copies) were grown from seeds obtained from botanical gardens in the USA, Canada, Kiev and natural habitats. At 24, trees growing bush-like, reach a height of 7.3 m, crown diameter 370 cm. The plant grows from mid-April to late September-early October. The growth rate is average. Blooms from 8 years old, in the second half of May. Fruiting from 8 years old, the fruits ripen in October. Average winter hardiness (in severe winters it partially freezes over). Seed germination is good. Grows rapidly in youth, prefers deep, moist, well-drained soil. Long lasting. It can be recommended for wide use in alley, single and group plantings from the latitude of St. Petersburg. In culture since 1759. Photo of EDSR. |
 Distant birch-V. dalecarlica L. = Betula pendula var. dalecarlica Some botanists consider it as a dissected-leaved form of warty birch [" Laciniata" or " Dalecarlica"- distant birch], Homeland is the Scandinavian Peninsula, in culture it is singular throughout the European part of Russia. Grows in a mixture with other deciduous species. Photophilous microtherm, mesophyte. It is widely cultivated in gardens, often found in landscaping of European cities. Once found in Central Sweden near the city of Uppsala. Dalcarlian birch is the plant emblem of the Swedish province of Dalarna, where the great scientist Karl Linnaeus lived and worked. It was in this province that an uprising against the Danish occupiers began in 1523, which ended victoriously by 1536. When choosing such a symbol, apparently, it was not done without the heritage of ancestors - after all, the "berkana" rune (which means "birch" in Old Swedish) in the Scandinavian system of signs is a powerful amulet of the hearth.
In GBS since 1953, 2 samples (4 copies) were grown from cuttings obtained from the nursery in the city of Zheleznodorozhny (Moscow region). Trees, height 6 m, trunk diameter 8 m. It grows at the same time as the species. The growth rate is average. Does not bloom. Winter hardiness is high. 100% of cuttings are rooted without any special treatment. Very decorative, can be used in landscaping to create decorative groups. It has graceful decorative form (f. gracilis) - with weeping branches and smaller and thinly dissected leaves than the typical form. It is used in a single landing in critical places of the parterres. Now often the forms "Crisp" and "Dalekarlik" are considered synonyms, but the true "Dalekarlik" is rare and differs from the "Crisp" by deeper cut leaves and practically weeping branches. Photos by Anna Petrovicheva |
A beautiful tree up to 20 m tall, similar in appearance to the weeping birch, but differs from it in deeply dissected leaves with uneven edges. The plant grows in the usual terms for birches. Winter hardiness. Propagated by budding with an awakening or dormant bud, grafting with a cuttings, during seed propagation, a large splitting of signs is noted. Daurian birch, or black-V. davurica Pall. = B. nigra It grows throughout the Far East, Mongolia, North China, Japan, Korea. It is considered an indicator of the suitability of the soil for farming. Protected in reserves. It grows in the lower part of mountain slopes on deep and moist soils as an admixture in deciduous forests. Light-loving mesophyte, mesotroph, micro-mesotroph, stable assembler. In culture in botanical gardens in Europe and the Far East.
Leaves are oval, dark green, yellow-brown in autumn. Blooms following the blooming of leaves. The growing season is shorter than that of other birches. In GBS since 1955, 5 samples (40 copies) were grown from seeds obtained from Dnepropetrovsk and natural habitats. At 34, height 11.5 m, trunk diameter 26.6 cm. The plant grows from 28.IV ± 5 to 5.X ± 8. The growth rate is average. It blooms from 8.V to 12.V. The fruits ripen on 16.X. Full winter hardiness. 100% of cuttings are rooted when treated with 0.01% IMC solution for 16 hours. Very light-requiring and demanding on the soil, but less demanding on soil moisture. Poorly tolerates pruning and replanting, suffers from soil compaction. Deserves widespread use in order to diversify the range of parks and forest parks. Looks good in clean and group through plantings in lighted areas. In culture since 1883. Photo on the left EDSR.
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A tree up to 25 m tall with a wide spreading, openwork crown. It is easily distinguished from other species by the original bark: in young trees it is pinkish or even slightly reddish, in old trees it is dark gray, sometimes even black-brown, cracking along. The birch bark periodically peels off and partially falls off, part of it remains hanging in shreds, creating the impression of curliness. This attracts attention, but the tree must grow close to the observer: by the path, bench, porch, and so on. From a distance of even one height, this sign is already hardly distinguishable. Yellow birch, or American- B. lutea Michx. Originally from North America. It is decorative in large size (up to 30 m), with an interesting color of the bark - silvery-gray or light orange, on old trunks - reddish-brown and a leaf shape similar to hornbeam leaves, up to 12 cm long, in autumn a peculiar yellow color. Growth rate and shade tolerance are average. Winter hardiness. Prefers moist but well-drained soil. Lives up to 300 years. Suitable for single, group and alley plantings south of St. Petersburg, with the exception of the arid southeast and subtropics. In the Asian part of Russia it can be used in the south of Western Siberia and the south of the Far East. In culture, since 1767. Photo of EDSR. |
| Small-leaved birch-V. microphylla Bunge
It grows in the desert valleys of mountain rivers and swamps of Western Siberia, Altai, Mongolia. Protected in reserves. Occurs in the desert steppe valleys of mountain rivers. The tree is up to 4-5 m tall, often low and clumsy, growing in the form of a shrub. The decorative advantage of the species is a yellowish-gray, sometimes pink bark, small leaves and a peculiar crown shape. It enters the growing season later than other species. It can be recommended for landscaping parks and forest parks in the form of single or group plantings, especially good along the banks of water bodies. In GBS since 1964, 5 samples (9 copies) were grown from seeds obtained from botanical gardens. At 17, height 5.6 m, trunk diameter 9.8 cm. Plant grows from O1.V ± 9 to O8.X ± 14 for 160 days. The growth rate is average. It blooms from 09.V110 to 19.V113 for 10 days. The fruits ripen on 14.VIII ± 35 days. Full winter hardiness. Seed germination is low. 16% of cuttings are rooted when treated with 0.01% IMC solution for 16 hours. |
| Useful birch-V. utilis The whitest birch grows not in Europe, not in Siberia or even in America.
In the skies of the Eastern Gim Alai, next to the glaciers of the highest peaks of the planet, above the border of rhododendron thickets and coniferous forests, birches grow with such white trunks that without leaves they look like the bones of giants weathered by the wind. This is a useful birch [V. utilis), and it fully justifies its name - at an altitude of more than 4500 m above sea level, there are practically no other large trees, and it is this single species that provides the Nepalese and Bhutanese inhabitants of the mountains with fuel and building material. The Himalayan birch is strikingly beautiful with its huge leaves - they reach the size of a human palm, and in autumn they turn bright yellow and stay on the branches for quite a long time. Unfortunately, this birch is rare on sale, with the exception, perhaps, of the variety " Doorenbos"obtained in the Dutch nursery of the same name. In contrast to the natural species, which is characterized by a generally straight trunk," Doorenbos"rather like a Karelian birch - in an adult state it is not a single-stemmed tree, but a huge bush. A useful birch grows surprisingly quickly (the growth of a five-six-year-old plant can reach one and a half meters per year] and is completely winter-hardy at the latitude of Moscow, which, of course, makes its distribution in gardens highly desirable. |
 Fluffy birch-V. pubescens Ehrh.
Europe, Western Siberia, Kazakhstan. Protected in reserves. It grows in damp forests, on the outskirts of swamps, on the shores of lakes, it can form crooked forests on the border of the tundra and forest-tundra, it is singly found in the highlands. Restative, light-loving mesophyte (but tolerates abundant and stagnant moisture), microtherm, mesotroph, edificator of indigenous birch forests along the border of the forest in the northern part of the range and in the forest-steppe, as well as in swampy habitats, anthropogenic-progressive unstable edificator of temporary phytocenoses in cuttings assembler of indigenous coniferous and deciduous forests. In culture, it is often found in botanical gardens and sometimes in landscaping of settlements. Tree up to 15 m tall, with a pure white trunk that does not form a dark crust at the base; with a broadly branched, ovoid crown formed by upwardly directed branches. The bark of young branches is smooth, reddish-brown, later pure white. Young shoots are fluffy. Leaves are shiny, ovate or rhombic, up to 6 cm, sticky and fragrant when young. In contrast to warty birch, ripe seeds keep in earrings for a long time. In terms of ecology, it is close to it, but less demanding on light, better tolerates shading, waterlogged soil, is more frost-resistant and further spread to the north. In culture since 1789. Forms natural plantations on the territory of GBS. At the expositions of the arboretum since 1954, 3 samples (7 copies) were grown from seeds obtained from Kiev, Lipetsk LSOS and Tashkent. At 39 years old, height 17.5 m, trunk diameter 30 cm. Plant grows from 27.V17 to 10.X ± 6 for 166 days. The growth rate is average. Blooms from 9.V ± 5 to 14.V ± 3 for 6 days. The fruits ripen 3.1X ± 22. Full winter hardiness. Seed germination is average. The cuttings are poorly rooted. Has a number of decorative forms: pyramidal(f. fastigiata), ovarian(f. ovalis); diamond-shaped(f. rombifolia), nettle leaf(f. urticifolia). There is a purple-leaved form " Atropurpurea", but it is less common. "Urticifolia". In culture in the collections of European botanical gardens. In GBS since 1969, 1 sample (1 copy) was grown from seeds obtained from Germany. At 24, height 7.4 m, trunk diameter 6 cm. The plant grows at the same time. , as the species. Growth rate is average. Does not bloom. Winter hardiness is low. Photo of Cheban Elena |
 Ribbed birch, or Far Eastern-V. costata Trautv.
Most suitable for harsh growing conditions. One of the distinguishing features of this species is its exceptional shade tolerance. Young plants can only develop in the shade. Very rare in culture, but undoubtedly it can be recommended for parks and forest parks. The shaggy trunk, covered with a shiny light yellow bark, the peculiar shape of the crown gives it an original look throughout the year. A common breed of foothills, a companion of conifers of the Khabarovsk and Primorsky Territories, Northeastern China and North Korea. Grows in deciduous and mixed mountain forests. Shade-tolerant mesophyte, microtherm, microtroph, picker of cedar-deciduous and cedar-birch forests. In the collections of botanical gardens in Europe, rarely in North America, the Far East and East Asia. A straight, slender tree up to 30 m tall, with a spreading, transparent crown. The largest birch in the Far East. Lives up to 80-100 years in favorable conditions. Shoots shortly pubescent in youth. Leaves are oblong-oval, with a strongly elongated pointed tip, dense, dark green, strongly pubescent during blooming. In the autumn, they are painted in various yellow tones. In GBS since 1970, 2 11 samples were grown from seeds brought from natural habitats. At 31 years old, height 12.2 m, trunk diameter 22 cm. The plant grows from 28.IV16 to 25.1X ± 16 for 150 days. The growth rate is average. It blooms from 14.V to 16.V18 for 3 days. The fruits ripen on 18.VIII. Full winter hardiness. Seed germination is low. The cuttings do not take root. Demanding on soil and air moisture. It reconciles with urban conditions, does not tolerate soil compaction, reacts painfully to pruning and replanting. Can be recommended for landscape groups mixed with cedar and other conifers. It is very effective in combination with Far Eastern maples: pseudosibold, small-leaved, Manchurian. In culture since 1880. Photo of EDSR. |
 Woolly birch-V. lanata (Regel) V. Vassil.
A representative of mountain slopes, glades, clarified places of dark coniferous forests of the subalpine belt of Eastern Siberia, the Far East and Korea. In forest phytocenoses. Photophilous mesophyte, mesotroph, micro-mesotherm. In culture, rarely. A tree completely unlike our birches, up to 15 m tall. Notable is the presence of pubescence on young twigs, as well as woolly or even tomentose-pubescent buds. Fertile catkins directed upwards. Leaves are broadly oval, up to 9 cm, sparsely hairy along the veins. Refers to the most cold-resistant hardwood. In terms of decorative and silvicultural properties, it is similar to stone birch. Recommended for use in single and group plantings of gardens and parks. In GBS since 1967, 8 samples (2 copies) were grown from seeds brought from natural habitats, there are plants for reproduction of GBS. At 38 years old, height 8.5 m, crown diameter 450 cm. The plant grows from early May to early September. The growth rate is average. Blooms in May. Does not bear fruit. Full winter hardiness. Cuts poorly. Photo of Kirill Kravchenko |
 Erman's birch, or stone-V. ermanii Cham.
Naturally distributed in Kamchatka, the Commander Islands, Sakhalin, the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk, the Kuril Islands, Japan. Protected in reserves. Grows in mountain forests, forming clean birch forests on very rocky slopes or in the subalpine belt. Photophilous, restative mesophyte, microtherm, mesotroph, edificator of park birch forests and tree stand picker of coniferous-deciduous forests. In culture in the botanical gardens of St. Petersburg, Moscow, Vladivostok, Arkhangelsk. Tree up to 15 m tall, with a wide spreading crown. The bark of the trunk is variously cracked, dark gray, brownish, chestnut-gray or yellow-gray in color, often hanging on trunks and branches in rags. Shoots are densely warty. The leaves are ovate (14 x 10 cm), dark green above, paler below. Very frost-resistant, undemanding to the soil. It got its second name for its ability to develop in rocky places where other birches do not grow. In GBS since 1951, 7 samples (15 copies) were grown from seeds and living plants brought from natural habitats, as well as from seeds obtained from the Lipetsk LSOS. At 22, height 19.3 m, trunk diameter 38 cm. Plant grows from 27.IV ± 6 to 5.X ± 8 for 161 days. The growth rate is slow. Blooms from 16 years from 12.V to 13.V13 for 2-3 days. Fruit ripening was observed on September 16. 8% of cuttings are rooted when treated with 0.01% IMC solution for 16 hours. As a very original plant, it can be used in single and group plantings. In culture since 1880. Photo of EDSR. |
Location: prefers sunny or slightly shaded places, but there are also fairly shade-tolerant (B. woolly, ribbed, yellow).
Landing: when planting, the distance between plants is not less than 3 - 4 m. The soil mixture consists of leafy earth, peat and sand (2: 1: 2). Drainage from sand with a layer of 15 cm is desirable. Planting is carried out in early spring at the age of not older than 5-7 years, older ones are planted in winter, with a frozen lump; with autumn planting, there is a large mortality.
When planting birches, there is one very important mandatory rule - in no case should the root collar of the seedling be buried. If it is even slightly below the soil level / the tree will suffer for several years, and then it will die anyway. The fact is that in this case, mycorrhiza completely dies on birch roots, and birches cannot exist without their cohabitants, mushrooms. For the same reason, birch trees do not tolerate soil filling over the roots of mature trees and an increase in the level of groundwater (the latter is less concerned with the originally boggy species - fluffy birch, but it is grown relatively rarely). Of course, in the early years the seedlings should be watered as needed, but later on, not only the majority of "black" birches, but even downy birch, are tolerated with temporary drought.
But it is worth thinking about fertilizing the soil, again, only in the case of "black" birches, which are very demanding on this. The best fertilizer is to add leafy soil directly at planting. Well, for white-barked birches, you don't need to worry about this at all - everything you need will be delivered to these plants by symbiotic mushrooms.
Care:
Top dressing. In early spring, before the leaves appear, and at the end of spring, trees are fed: 1 kg of mullein, 10 g of urea, 15 g of ammonium nitrate are taken in a bucket of water. 10 - 20-year-old plants require 30 liters of solution, at 30 and more years - 50 liters.
Watering. Mandatory at the time of planting and three to four days after it.
Loosening, mulching. The soil is loosened to a depth of 3 cm while weeding. Trunk circles are mulched with peat, peat compost, wood chips with a layer of 8-12 cm.
Haircut, trimming. Dry branches are cut in the spring.
Protection against diseases and pests. Trumpet beetles damage young shoots and leaves. It is recommended to collect and burn the affected leaves, and dig up the trunk circles. Caterpillars of the nun silkworm and corydalis bucephalus eat the leaves, leaving only veins. The caterpillars are shaken off, and the plants are treated with insecticides. May beetles and their larvae eat the roots. It is recommended to dig up the soil and select the larvae. Birch trees are susceptible to many fungal diseases, especially tinder fungi, which destroy wood. They should be removed. Spraying against rust is carried out by spraying with fungicides, for example, copper oxychloride (0.4%).
Preparing for winter. They cover the trunks of especially valuable decorative forms planted in the fall.
Betula utilis var. occidentalis
Photo of Tatiana Shakhmanova
Reproduction: to plant one of our common birches, it is enough to dig a small seedling in some abandoned field, but with the reproduction of exotic species, everything is much more complicated. If the varieties of warty birch, in particular, this applies to super-weeping and dissected-leafed forms) nurseries are now supplying in quite large quantities, then the multiplication of other species will most likely have to be dealt with by the gardeners themselves, and thoroughly tinker with it.
The fact is that birches are completely incapable of reproducing in the simplest and most familiar way - by cuttings, and cultivation from seeds and grafting remain the ways of obtaining new plants.
Birch trees are propagated by sowing seeds collected during the browning period of the catkins. Germination rate is 90%. further falls rapidly. It is better to sow immediately after harvest or in late autumn. Birch trees regenerate well under growth, giving decorative multi-stemmed forms.
Dried to an air-dry state (moisture content 7-14%), seeds are stored in a hermetically sealed container, plastic or paper bags in a refrigerator or in a dry unheated room. At the same time, germination is maintained for 1 - 2 years. Laboratory germination depends on the species. Sowing in autumn or early spring. Freshly harvested seeds are light-sensitive: they germinate in the dark at 15 - 32 ° C. At 15 ° and below s. germinate only after illumination. After dry storage before sowing with. need stratification at 1 - 10 ° for 2 - 3 months or treatment with gibberellic acid at a concentration of 100 mg / l for 24 hours. germinate at 12 - 25 °. Sowing with. superficial into well prepared grooves or ridges with compaction c. to the seed substrate. Crops are mulched with small sawdust, peat, humus, sand or black soil, covered with shade shields or straw by 50 - 70% until shoots appear. During this period, crops are watered daily until the substrate is completely saturated with moisture, weeds are removed in a timely manner, lighting and irrigation rates are adjusted depending on the temperature and humidity of the air.
Although birch trees massively populate abandoned lands, fires and clearings, their tiny seedlings are very picky about living conditions at first. First of all, most birches need abundant sunlight at a very young age. Even a slight shading by weeds turns out to be fatal for them, and they germinate only while lying on the surface of the soil - they cannot be buried. Therefore, if you decide to sow any birch, it should be done in a box with soil specially steamed from weeds, and then you will have to carefully, but extremely carefully, water the tiny sprouts throughout the spring. But starting from the middle of summer, when the plant reaches five centimeters, you can already stop worrying about them and, with a clear conscience, transplant them to the "school". However, the above procedure applies only to "white" birches. "Black", as typical forest dwellers, require less light, but their seedlings in the first year barely add in growth (despite the fact that their seedlings are several times larger than those of "whites"] and are completely unstable to The slightest drought begins to grow rapidly only in the second or third year.
Another way to reproduce birches is grafting. This is the only way to propagate their varieties, but this requires a fair amount of skill. It is necessary to very accurately guess the time of the operation - the leaves should begin to unfold on the rootstock, and the scion must be kept in complete rest (in the refrigerator at a temperature of about zero]. Apparently, the best time for grafting birches will be the beginning and mid-May. with one or two buds in the "split", "in the butt" method and the like: in other words, so that the stock is thicker than the scion. However, even with such tricks, the percentage of successful vaccinations is insignificant, it is higher only in cool greenhouses with constantly high air humidity. In our area, the only way to reproduce such dark beauties as cherry or Daurian birch is painstaking cultivation from seeds.
Usage: are among the best park trees and are highly desirable in gardens and alley plantings, but always on a strip of lawn. They are decorative with an openwork crown, bright color of the bark, light green foliage in spring and golden yellow in autumn. Suitable for all types of planting, especially in combination with mountain ash, willow, oak, linden, maple, beech, bird cherry, as well as with conifers. When planting birches, one should take into account its neighborhood as a "whip", especially birches with thin hanging branches, from which conifers especially suffer.
Partners : under a drooping birch, herbs and plants always grow better than under a fluffy one. In the latter, the crown is denser, the crowns of individual trees are in contact. But there are a number of plants, albeit not so many, that could be used under it. The limiting factors here are shade and dryness. Among woody plants, it would be possible to use common hazel and its varieties, viburnum and its varieties, assorted snowy berries, some spireas (albeit to the detriment of abundant flowering), tree caragana and its varieties, as a ground cover and curling on supports - wood pliers and maiden five-leaf grapes, smaller than usual, but white dogwood and its varieties will grow there, some hawthorns and Tatar honeysuckle, holly-leaved and mock-chubushniki (although not so abundantly flowering), good shrubs, but not very abundantly flowering, will give cinquefoil shrubs, it is good to use alpine currants and rowan berries in assortment, Chinese junipers, forms and varieties of ordinary spruce, western thuja and other plants. The list of perennials is even larger. The limiting factor is the same - dry shadow. It's good if they are not the most demanding on fertility.
materials used:
Sergey Kuptsov "Such different birches" // "Garden and kindergarten" - 2007 - №6
Alexander Sapelin "Birch, white friend" // "The florist's bulletin" - 2008 - №23
- this is the pride and symbol of the Slavs. It is often called the tree of life.
Birch for a reason it is considered a sacred tree, a spiritual symbol. Since ancient times, she has been taking care of people. Leaves - for health, branches - for brooms, bark for writing, handicrafts, tar and lighting, wood for warmth.
Birch in Russia has always been associated with a young maiden for her purity, whiteness, sophistication. Branches Birch bend over the traveler, like female hands, to embrace him in their affectionate embrace.
Birch name
The Russian word Bereza comes from praslav. berza, from the root * bhereĝ- "to glow, to whiten".
Where does Birch grow?
Birch widespread throughout Russia and the Northern Hemisphere as a whole, even beyond the Arctic Circle. Birch is undemanding, it tolerates heat and cold well.
Dwarf birch grows in the tundra of Europe and North America and the mountain tundra of Siberia. It does not even reach 1 m in height. In the ice and post-glacial periods, this birch was distributed much further south, now it is found there only in swamps as a relic.
What does a birch look like?
Birch is probably familiar to everyone. But still, let's write a few words.
Birch- a tall light tree with a spreading crown. It is always light in the Birch Forest, and not only because of the white trunks. Birch leaves are not large and the crown lets in a lot of light.
Birch Height usually 15-30m. However, the age of Birch is not long. Actually, 1st century. Birch usually lives for about 100 years.
Birch bark in most species it is white. The outer part of the bark - birch - usually peels off easily with ribbons. In old birches, the lower part of the trunk is covered with a dark crust with deep cracks.
Birch leaves are small toothed, pointed at the end, sticky in spring.
Birch Flowers- earrings. Birch's earrings are not all the same: there are men, there are women.
Men's earrings on a birch appear in the summer. At first, they are erect and green in color, then gradually turn brown. Outside, the entire earring is covered with a moisture-impermeable resinous substance. In this form, the catkins hibernate.
In spring, in March - May, the core of the male catkins lengthens, as a result of which the scales surrounding the flower open up, and yellow stamens, abundantly secreting pollen, become noticeable between them.
Womens birch catkins always sit on the side of a branch. During flowering, they are always shorter and narrower than male ones, which immediately fall off after pollination.
When to collect birch leaves?
Birch Leaves you need to collect in mid-May, as soon as the leaves are no longer sticky.
Harvested birch leaves in May - June - birch leaves should be fragrant and sticky, young, not coarse. For drying, birch leaves are placed on wide paper sheets in a dark, cool place with good ventilation.
Medicinal properties of Birch
The main medicinal properties of birch: antimicrobial, wound healing, good anti-inflammatory properties, absorbing ability - this is not a complete list of the remarkable properties of these leaves.
Diuretic, and most importantly, choleretic properties are often used by herbalists in a variety of ways.
Birch leaves have a rich composition - essential oils, phytoncides, vitamin C, carotene, vegetable glycosides, tannins, nicotinic acid and other elements. A decoction of birch leaves is used as a disinfectant and antiseptic, a diuretic and choleretic drug.
Infusion from birch leaves is more saturated, therefore it is used for topical treatment. Alcoholic and essential substances that contain birch leaves have antimycotic and antiviral effects. Tannins, which are rich in birch leaves, have bactericidal and anti-inflammatory properties. Phytoncides and flavonoids are antioxidants that absorb free radicals, so Birch leaves can rejuvenate cells and tissues, and restore them.
Infusion from young birch leaves is used as a stimulant, is prescribed for disorders of the nervous system, renal colic, jaundice, as an anti-inflammatory and vitamin agent.
Birch buds are diaphoretic, diuretic and choleretic. For diseases of the kidneys and bladder, dropsy, an aqueous infusion or decoction is used in a ratio of 1: 5. Kidney infusions are prepared at the rate of 2 teaspoons per glass of boiling water. Take 2-3 tablespoons 3-4 times a day. The broth is prepared from 30 g of kidneys per glass of water and is also taken as an infusion.
Birch leaves make vitamin drink: young leaves are crushed and poured with hot boiled water, infused for 4 hours.
Birch juice... Birch sap is not only tasty but also healthy, has a good fortifying effect, its ability to dissolve stones has been revealed, so the juice is used in complex therapy for urolithiasis.
The usefulness of birch sap is determined by its chemical composition, the presence of many valuable substances, in particular glucose and fructose, well absorbed by the body, nicotinic, glutamic, aminoacetic acids.
Birch broom in the bath promotes the healing of wounds, abrasions, cleanses the skin from rashes and acne. It helps well after physical exertion, relieves pain and muscle tension. And its main advantage is that it improves ventilation in the lungs.
It is believed that the smell of birch heals melancholy and helps from the evil eye, and birch sap, collected on the special days of March and April, purifies the blood.
Beryosta- one of the best means for making a fire in any weather.
Sometimes on the Birch you can see growths - cap- on the cut, they have a kind of complex and beautiful pattern. The processed burl has long been used for the manufacture of exquisite handicrafts: caskets, snuff boxes, decorative pieces of furniture.
Birch is also characterized by specific types of mushrooms- destroyers of dead wood (saprotrophic), which play an important role in the process of self-cleaning of forests from dead wood and windbreaks.
Why is Birch white? Birch bark cell cavities are filled with a white resinous substance - betulin, which gives the birch a white color.
In beekeeping, birch is important as a pollen. After all, bees collect not only nectar, but also pollen - the main source squirrel and vitamins.
People living near the birch grove are much less likely to suffer from colds, since volatile phytoncides secreted by the tree inhibit the growth and development of bacteria.
Thanks to the dark stripes and lines, white birch can easily withstand both heat and cold. When it gets too hot, they open and let air into the plant, in cold weather, on the contrary, they close tightly and do not freeze. The vitality of the tree still surprises scientists: after several times its branches were removed from the freezer, the temperature inside of which was -273 ° C, they thawed and revived.
Birch belongs to the genus of deciduous trees and shrubs of the birch family, which includes about 120 species. Sixty-five species grow in Russia. The tree is widespread throughout the Northern Hemisphere, and therefore it can be seen not only in Eurasia, but also in North America, in warm countries with sandy soil and even beyond the Arctic Circle.
Such a wide distribution area is explained by the fact that white birch is undemanding, it perfectly tolerates both heat and permafrost, and takes root on any soil. These plants, however, are photophilous, but among them there are many shade-tolerant trees.
The people called the tree "white birch" for a reason: the color that so vividly distinguishes the trunk of a birch among deciduous plants is due to the organic dye betulin, which contains a large amount of silver ions that have antimicrobial action (for this reason, there are few microbes near the plants, and medicines and products of it have a healing effect). Accordingly, in the soil of the birch grove, the number of this chemical element is greater than in the lands of the mixed forest.
True, the bark of a birch is white not in every species: in some plants it can be yellowish, pinkish, brown in color, as well as gray, brown and even black.
Description
According to their descriptions, most species have a height of 30 to 45 meters, although very small specimens are often found: the height of the smallest tree in the world is from one to one and a half meters, and some shrubs even spread along the ground. As soon as the tree sprouts, in the first years it grows extremely slowly, but the older it gets, the faster the growth rate increases.
The roots of birch are strong and, depending on the type of soil, are either superficial or go deep into the ground at an angle. In spring, birch has a very high humidity: inside the plant, an intensified movement of sap begins, when nutrients from the soil rush upward along the roots.
At this time, many people collect the sap of the plant: they make cuts through which the liquid rushes out and is able to flow out for several weeks (a tall tree can give about a bucket of juice per day). As a result, the white birch is greatly depleted, and viruses enter it through wounds, which can cause the death of the plant. Therefore, after collecting the juice, the bark must be covered with clay or resin.
The leaves of the birch are alternate (arranged in a spiral, with one leaf going from each node of the stem), solid, serrated along the edge, smooth, have a length of about seven and a width of four centimeters. In spring, young leaves are sticky, then this ability is gradually lost. The birch leaves the foliage in the fall, before falling off, the birch leaves turn yellow.
Wood
White birch has a firm, dense light wood with a slight pink or yellowish tinge. The pattern on it is weakly expressed, wavy, annual rings are almost not visible, reddish, chaotically scattered spots are characteristic. One of the most beautiful woods is the Karelian birch - a low plant that has a strongly deformed trunk in the form of spherical bulges and tubercles.
Previously, the Karelian birch was considered a separate species, but now biologists have come to the conclusion that it is a warty (drooping) birch, the trunk of which is deformed under certain conditions. Therefore, the age of the tree is short: the Karelian birch lives for about forty years (some species live up to one hundred and eighty), and therefore does not have time to grow, and its height is about twenty-five meters.
Karelian birch has become famous for its marble-like texture and color: brown spots on a golden background (due to its properties, expensive products have been made from it for a long time: furniture, decorative fakes, souvenirs). Scientists still have not come to the same opinion about the reasons for the appearance of such an amazing pattern. Among the main assumptions why the Karelian birch has patterned wood, they put forward such versions as:
- violation of mineral nutrition;
- viral infection;
- hereditary disease.
Despite the fact that when two plants of this species are crossed, the Karelian birch passes on its amazing structure by inheritance, decorative features are not always completely transferred, and it is possible to determine whether the wood will have a pattern not earlier than in five years.
The Karelian birch has a special value also because it is very rare, and therefore its cost exceeds $ 1.5 thousand, and is sold not by cubic meters, but by weight, kilograms.
Bloom
All types of birches are monoecious plants (they have flowers of the same sex, which both pistils and stamens have), flowering occurs in spring, birch pollen is carried by the wind.
First, two or three male flowers up to four centimeters long appear in complex inflorescences (birch catkins) in the summer. They consist of a huge number of thyroid scales fused with the main stem of the stalked form. These plates expand closer upward, below they have two small scales, each of which has three flowers on the inside, where the stamens are located.
Outside, the male earring is covered with a resinous substance, which does not allow moisture to penetrate inside and allows you to spend the winter calmly. The birch wakes up in the spring, the male earring lengthens, the flower scales open and stamens appear, from which the birch is dusting in all directions. After that, men's earrings, which were completely straight before, bend and hang.
Female birch catkins are not so noticeable: they are much smaller, thinner, more inconspicuous, small mouse tails similar to greenish color. They develop from last year's lateral buds and are always on the side of the branch. They bloom together with male catkins and during flowering contain a large number of flowers, inside which there are two ovules.
Dusting of birch occurs with the help of the wind, when birch pollen falls on the flower, one ovule dries up, and the second develops: the female earring begins to lengthen and, due to the increase in the size of the scales, begins to resemble an oblong cone, which crumbles after the fruits ripen in them.
Seeds, having fallen from a tree (since they are very light, the wind is able to carry them a hundred meters from the mother tree), are able to immediately begin to germinate, and if conditions are unfavorable, they pass into a state of dormancy and, on occasion, can hatch for several years.
Healing characteristics of the tree
White birch has long been famous for its healing properties, and people have long learned to use various parts of the plant (wood, bark, juice, buds, leaves) for their own good. Moreover, they are used both in medicine and in other fields of activity.
The medicinal properties of birch can hardly be overestimated: the bark and branches of birch contain betulin, which makes them white and contains a high percentage of silver. Betulin, entering the bloodstream, improves liver function, reduces joint pain.
Birch sap, decoctions strengthen the immune system, and the plant itself has a beneficial effect on health. Scientists have found that people living near a birch grove are much less likely to suffer from colds, since volatile phytoncides secreted by a tree inhibit the growth and development of bacteria. Therefore, products using a birch branch are especially valuable. For example, made brooms under the influence of hot air release phytoncides, which sterilize the air and fill it with antiseptics.
In its buds, white birch contains about five percent of essential oil, ascorbic acid, higher fatty acids, and various resinous substances. Birch leaves have medicinal properties, which also contain tannins, as well as flamanoids, which improve the elasticity of blood vessels and prevent sclerotic diseases.
Tar is obtained from the bark of the plant, which has long been used in medicine as an antiseptic. From the top layer of the tree bark, birch bark, which has high strength, an excellent material is obtained for various crafts: baskets, bast shoes, various kitchen utensils. The peoples of the Far East made boats from it, and in Russia it served as paper (birch bark lettering): scribes wrote on it in writing, with sharp bone sticks.
Birch is a healing tree.
Linguists believe that the name "birch" comes from the word "protect", since the ancient peoples greatly appreciated and protected this tree, considering it a gift from the gods. In Russia, birch has always been one of the most revered trees. Among the ancient Slavic and Baltic peoples, she was considered a symbol of purity, light and femininity.
In ancient times, people planted birch trees near their yards, believing that it could protect them from diseases, especially during the spread of various epidemics. They planted a birch tree at the gate and put a bench near it so that one could sit down and talk to the tree, asking him for help and health.
People also believed that birch was able to protect against evil spirits. Settlements were surrounded by a ring of birch trees; all kinds of charms made of birch bark were also popular.
In the old days, people believed that if you beat a sick child with a birch bar, the disease will go away. It was also believed that birch can take over the disease. In addition, being a symbol of femininity and fertility, the tree could awaken the fruitful forces not only of the earth, but also of people. Therefore, people turned to birch for help in procreation. Pregnant women asked the birch for easy childbirth, and the child born to grow up healthy and happy.
So, this wonderful birch tree and its healing properties will be discussed in this section. It also lists specific recipes used in the treatment of various diseases. But do not forget about the existence of contraindications and self-medicate. The use of any prescription should be consulted with your doctor.
Description of birch.
Birch is a tree not exceeding 20 m in height. The trunk of a birch is straight, white and smooth, with black lines on the bark, the lower part of the trunk is black. Young trees have brownish bark. The branches are thin, with resinous warts, thick and well developed. Old trees have drooping branches.
Leaves are long-petiolate, smooth on both sides, triangular or diamond-ovate, wide at the base and pointed at the end, 2-3 cm long. Young trees have sticky and fragrant leaves. The buds appear in early spring. They are reddish-brown in color, elongated, resinous and astringent in taste.
Birch is a monoecious tree. It has pistillate (female) and staminate (male) I earrings. Pistillate catkins are axillary, erect, 2.5-3 cm long, located one by one on short lateral branches. Dangling catkins, 5-6 cm long, are arranged in 2-3 pieces at the ends of branches.
Birch blooms in April - May, when the leaves bloom. Male flowers develop in the fall and remain for the winter, female flowers appear during the opening of the leaves. Pistillate flowers are connected by 2-3 pieces, have a three-lobed scale, covering 3 two-nested pistils with 2 filiform stigmas. Stamen flowers consist of bifurcated stamens and 1-2 tepals.
The fruits ripen in August - September. One earring contains about 500 seeds. The fruit is a single-seeded flat nut of an oblong-elliptical shape, with 2 wings, which are 2-3 times larger than the nut itself. Seeds are carried by the wind and take root well when they get on dry or moist, sandy, loamy, chernozemic or stony-gravelly soil. The tree grows quickly, perfectly regenerates by shoots and self-sowing.
Where the birch grows.
Birch is widespread in Russia. There are 120 species of birch trees in the world. Of these, about 65 species grow in Russia. They differ slightly from each other and are used in medicine in the same way. The most famous are the squat, fluffy and drooping birch trees.
Birch is light-requiring, does not like darkening, it tolerates any climatic conditions well. Grows in the forest and forest-steppe zones of the European part of Russia and Siberia. It is very common in parks, gardens, often grows near roads. The life span of a birch is approximately 100-120 years.
Birch often forms derivative forests in the place of felled or burnt pine, spruce, oak and deciduous forests. She very quickly populates the vacant space, but over time it is replaced by other tree species.
Warty birch is an ordinary tree of deciduous and mixed forests. Fluffy birch differs from the first in that its branches and twigs, as well as leaves from below (especially in the corners of the veins) have hairs (young ones are velvety), and also in that fluffy birch grows in damp places.
Drooping birch, fast-growing deciduous, high, up to 30 m, a tree of the birch family, with a smooth white bark. In total, the genus of birch contains 120 species, occupies 13% of the area of all forests in Russia. The most common warty birch lives up to 100-150 years. Branches drooping at the ends. Leaves are alternate, petiolate, triangular-rhombic, sharp-toothed at the edges. Fragrant leaves and young twigs are covered with resinous glands. Male and female flowers in earrings. Birch blooms in spring. During flowering, long yellowish catkins hang from the branches, very similar to hazel earrings. These are male inflorescences, arranged in a brush of 2-4 and consist of many staminate flowers. The catkins produce a large amount of yellow powdery pollen, which is carried far away by the wind. Women's earrings are single axillary, erect or rejected much smaller than men's. They have a greenish color, are hardly noticeable, contain many tiny female flowers, consisting of only one pistil. After flowering, these catkins grow strongly, turning into small green cylinders. At the end of summer, the overgrown catkins turn brown and begin to crumble into small three-lobed scales and tiny membranous fruits. Birch fruits are so small that they are barely visible to the naked eye. An elongated seed is located in the center of the fruit, on the sides there are two oval wings, which are the thinnest films.
The composition of plant materials and the beneficial properties of birch.
Birch leaves contain an essential oil (0.05%) with a pleasant smell, saponins (3.2%), ascorbic acid (2.8%), vitamin C, carotene, nicotinic acid, betuloretinic acid (in the form of butyl ether), glucosides (hyperoside and spiracoside), tannins (5-9%), triterpene alcohols, inositol, betulalbin resin, flavonoids.
Birch buds also contain saponins, essential oil (6%) and ascorbic acid, as well as phytoncides, bitterness, tannins, resin, grape sugar.
Birch bark contains triterpene alcohol (betulol), which protects the plant from the penetration of fungi and due to which it has a white color, glucosides (beta-loside and goulterin), saponins, a bitter substance, acids (protocatechol, lilac, vanillic, hydroxybenzoic), catechins, leucoanthocyanins, tannins, resinous substances and a small amount of essential oil.
Tar obtained from birch bark by dry distillation contains phenol, cresols, dioxybenzenes, guaiacol.
The composition of birch sap includes sugars - fructose and glucose (up to 4%), malic acid, protein, vitamins C and group B, tannins and aromatic substances. In addition, birch sap is rich in minerals and trace elements such as potassium (273 mg / l), sodium (16 mg / l), calcium (13 mg / l), magnesium (6 mg / l), aluminum (1- 2 mg / l), manganese (1 mg / l), iron (0.25 mg / l), silicon (0.1 mg / l), titanium (0.08 mg / l), copper (0.02 mg / l), strontium (0.1 mg / l), barium, nickel, zirconium and phosphorus (0.01 mg / l).
You can read more about the birch mushroom called "chaga" on our website.
Procurement of birch medicinal raw materials.
Birch is widely used in medicine. For medicinal purposes, buds, leaves, birch sap, bark are used, tar and coal are obtained from wood. The chaga birch mushroom is also popular, forming growths on the trunk of a tree.
Birch buds.
Collection of birch buds.
The buds should be harvested in winter (January - February) during felling or in early spring during their swelling (March - April), before the leaves open. The buds are cut and tied into bundles, which are then air dried for 4-5 weeks.
After that, the buds are stripped from the branches and dried in the shade in the air at a moderate temperature. At high temperatures, they can lose some of the active substances; therefore, it is not recommended to use dryers. The buds should be shiny, dark brown in color, with a pleasant smell and slightly bitter taste.
Storage of birch buds.
Dried buds are packed and stored in a dry place. They retain their healing properties for 2 years, after which the supply of kidneys should be renewed.
The leaves are harvested in May - June, when they are still young, fragrant, sticky, and not coarse. They are cut straight from the branches. Leaves should be dried in cool, dark and well-ventilated rooms, spread out in a layer of 3-5 cm and stirring 2-3 times during the day. You can keep dry leaves for 2 years. They are stored in cloth or paper bags, as well as in glass jars.
Birch bark (birch bark).
The outer layer of birch bark (birch bark) can be torn off from growing or felled trees, as well as from dead wood. To do this, make an incision on the upper white layer of the bark with a sharp tool. Care must be taken not to damage the bottom layer of the bark (bast).
The best is birch bark from the middle part of the trunk. The removed bark is dried in a dry, open place. To protect from rain, a canopy is made over this place from large plates of birch bark.
The best time for harvesting birch bark is a period of increased sap flow. At this time, it is easily separated from the wood. Dried birch bark should be brittle.
Tar and coal are obtained from the bark and wood of birch, which are also widely used in medicine and everyday life.
Birch juice.
Collection of birch sap.
Birch sap is obtained in early spring, before the leaves bloom, at the very beginning of the sap flow. To do this, the tree trunk is cut to the depth of the bark and several layers. You can collect from 3 to 10 liters of juice from one tree per day, and 30-150 liters per season. Thus, you can get 5-10 tons of juice per day from 1 hectare of forest. Even the stumps of birches felled in winter produce abundant sap in the spring.
Birch sap is best harvested from trees to be cut because bark damage is harmful to birch trees. However, if the bark is notched correctly, the tree will produce sap for several years. The cuts should not be large, otherwise the tree will lose a lot of sap and rot will begin in this place. Usually, to collect juice using a brace, a hole with a diameter of 1-1.5 cm is drilled in the lower part of the trunk (40-60 cm from the ground), into which a hollow plug is then driven in and a plastic bag is attached to it or any dish (except galvanized) is substituted.
When the juice ceases to stand out, the cork is removed, and the hole is tightly plugged with an ordinary wooden cork, and then the place is coated with putty or paint so that the wood does not start to rot.
It is necessary to collect the juice only before the leaves bloom, then the collection should be stopped. You cannot take sap from thin trees (less than 30 cm in diameter), otherwise they will weaken and wither. Keep the juice in a cool place in a sealed container.
Harvesting birch brooms.
Bath brooms are harvested in the second half of June, when all the leaves on the tree have bloomed. Branches should be cut from trees in logging areas.
Medicinal properties of raw birch.
Birch buds - medicinal properties.
Infusions and decoctions of birch buds produce choleretic, diaphoretic, blood-purifying, analgesic, anti-inflammatory and wound-healing effects.
Alcohol tincture of birch buds is used for colds, pain in the stomach and intestines, as well as for hiccups. In addition, kidney tincture is used for rubbing and as compresses for rheumatism, gout, joint pain, lumbago, bedsores, abrasions, cuts and non-healing wounds.
Essential oil from birch buds.
The essential oil extracted from birch buds is used as a tonic and stimulating agent. In addition, birch oil is used in the treatment of gonorrhea.
Birch buds ointment.
For their preparation, a very fine powder from a plant is used, which is ground with such ointment bases as lanolin, petroleum jelly, butter or vegetable oil and fresh pork fat. The ointments prepared on the basis of vegetable oils (sunflower, olive, flaxseed, etc.) are preserved for the longest time.
Recipe for 1 ointment from birch buds ..
400 g of birch buds, 800 g of butter, 8 g of camphor.
In a small saucepan, put a layer of oil 1.5 cm thick, on top - the same layer of birch buds. Alternating layers, they fill the pan, close it with a lid, cover it with dough and put it to simmer in the oven for a day. After that, the oil is squeezed out of the kidneys and camphor, previously crushed into powder, is added.
The finished ointment is placed in the refrigerator for storage. The ointment has analgesic properties and is used to treat rheumatism.
Ointment is rubbed on sore spots 1 time a day before bedtime.
Recipe for 2 birch bud ointments ..
300 g of birch buds, 500 g of butter.
In a clay or ceramic container, spread a layer of kidneys as thick as a finger, then a layer of freshly beaten butter, again a layer of kidneys and a layer of butter.
This is repeated until the container is full. Then it is closed with a lid and coated with dough, after which it is placed for a day in a well-cooked Russian oven or hot oven, preventing it from heating above 90 ° C. After treatment with moderate dry heat, the kidneys are squeezed out.
The ointment prepared in this way is used for rubbing into sore joints at night. In this case, you can put a layer of ointment applied on the surface of the skin with birch leaves on top, then wrap it in a thick cloth and strengthen the bandage well so that it does not shift during sleep. It is not recommended to store the ointment for a long time.
Tar from birch bark.
Tar obtained from birch bark has bactericidal, antimicrobial, insecticidal and local irritating properties. It is part of the Vishnevsky, Wilkinson and Konkov ointments, which are used to treat skin diseases, wounds and head lice.
In the old days, birch tar was used to treat patients with leprosy and scabies.
A mixture of birch tar, castor oil and alcohol is used in the treatment of oily seborrhea of the skin, as well as for severe itching. For the treatment of skin diseases, birch tar is used in the form of a 10-30% ointment or liniment. It is also used for burns and purulent wounds.
With prolonged use of birch tar and ointments based on it, skin irritation appears, and with eczema, an exacerbation of the disease may begin.
Medicinal properties of a birch leaf.
Decoctions of birch buds and leaves enhance the secretory activity of the glands, facilitate menstruation, accelerate their onset, produce an anthelmintic effect (with roundworms). Birch buds and leaves have a beneficial effect on the metabolism in the body and contribute to the removal of toxins and harmful substances from it.
Extracts and infusions of birch leaves are used for various liver diseases, they have an analgesic and antiemetic effect, improve the general condition of the patient, reduce the size of the liver, and increase bile secretion.
Dry and fresh steamed leaves are used as compresses for rheumatic diseases, as well as for burns and sweating of the feet.
Medicinal properties of birch bark.
Birch bark is used in the treatment of diathesis, as well as wounds and ulcers. It prevents suppuration of the affected skin area. A decoction of birch bark is given for malaria and uterine bleeding. A decoction of a thin film lagging behind the birch bark helps with coughing. The film is also applied to the boils to draw out pus. Birch root is used as an anti-rheumatic and anti-febrile remedy. In folk medicine, ash from birch roots is also used for heartburn, hiccups, indigestion and stomach or duodenal ulcers.
Medicinal properties of birch sap.
Juices are the most valuable medicinal products made from plants. Juices that have not been heat treated are considered the best.
Birch sap is useful for gout, rheumatism, edema of various origins and as a general tonic for furunculosis, sore throat, non-healing wounds, trophic ulcers. Previously, birch sap was also used in the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis. It is used externally for eczema.
In addition, birch sap is rich in vitamins, its use prevents the deposition of salts and cholesterol in the body. The juice also helps to cleanse the blood from uric acid and has a hematopoietic and regenerative effect.
Birch sap is drunk 200 ml 3 times a day 30 minutes before meals. The course of treatment is designed for 6 weeks, after which it is necessary to take a two-week break and repeat the treatment. In winter, an effective remedy for colds is the use of birch sap mixed with milk.
Birch sap can be used externally for eczema and for washing with acne.
Hair is washed with birch sap, as it improves the condition of the scalp, removes dandruff and promotes hair growth, reduces hair loss, and strengthens.
In cosmetics, birch sap is used to remove age spots, nourish the skin, increase its overall tone and smooth wrinkles. For this purpose, wipe the face, hands and neck in the morning and evening with a swab dipped in birch sap.
With neuralgia of the shoulder girdle and radiculitis, 2 tbsp of birch sap is taken to relieve inflammation. spoons 3 times a day one hour after meals, as well as juice of celery roots and leaves 2 times a day.
How to preserve birch leaves and buds.
Young birch leaves are stored in boxes lined with paper, and the buds are pressed into bricks and folded into tight-fitting boxes (preferably tin ones).
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