Betula kenaica
Kenai Birch
a perennial woody deciduous member of the Betula genus in the family Betulaceae.
Taxonomy and growth
- Family
- Betulaceae
- Genus
- Betula
- Life cycle
- perennial
- Foliage
- deciduous
- Woodiness
- woody
- Growth rate
- vigorous
- Height
- 12 m
- Fertility
- Wind
- Flower type
- monoecious
- Pollinators
- Wind
Uses
Edible uses
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Young leaves and catkins - raw[13]. The buds and twigs are used as a flavouring in stews[13]. Inner bark - raw or cooked. Best in spring[13]. Inner bark can be dried and ground into a powder and then used as a thickener in soups etc or added to flour when making bread, biscuits etc. Inner bark is generally only seen as a famine food, used when other forms of starch are not available or are in short supply[K]. Sap - raw or cooked[13]. It can be used as a refreshing drink, or can be concentrated by boiling to make a syrup[K]. It is tapped in late winter, the flow is best on sunny days following a heavy frost. The sap can be fermented into a beer. An old English recipe for the beer is as follows:- \"To every Gallon of Birch-water put a quart of Honey, well stirr'd together; then boil it almost an hour with a few Cloves, and a little Limon-peel, keeping it well scumm'd. When it is sufficiently boil'd, and become cold, add to it three or four Spoonfuls of good Ale to make it work...and when the Test begins to settle, bottle it up... it is gentle, and very harmless in operation within the body, and exceedingly sharpens the Appetite, being drunk ante pastum.\"[14].
- Product or use
- Condiment
- Plant part
- Flowers
- Plant part
- Inner bark
- Plant part
- Leaves
- Plant part
- Sap
Medicinal uses
Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
The bark is antirheumatic, astringent, lithontripic, salve and sedative[4].
- Product or use
- Antirheumatic
- Product or use
- Astringent
- Product or use
- Lithontripic
- Product or use
- Salve
- Product or use
- Sedative
Material uses
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
An infusion of the plant is used as a hair conditioner and dandruff treatment[4]. Wood - close-grained, light, strong, hard, tough[12]. It makes a good fuel[4], whilst the bark makes a good kindling[4].
- Product or use
- Fuel
- Product or use
- Hair care
- Product or use
- Kindling
Ecology and functions
- Ecosystem niche
- Canopy, Secondary canopy
Environment
- Range
- North-western N. America - Alaska.
- Habitat
- Grows along the coast[1]. Rocky slopes in the subalpine zone from sea level to 300 metres[8].
- Light
- full sun
- Shade tolerance
- light shade
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- Zone 2+
- Soil textures
- sandy, loamy, clay, heavy clay
- Soil pH
- acid, neutral, alkaline
- Drainage
- well drained
- Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
- No
- Drought
- intolerant
Propagation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a light position in a cold frame[10][11][2][3]. Only just cover the seed and place the pot in a sunny position[10][11][3]. Spring sown seed should be surface sown in a sunny position in a cold frame[2][3]. If the germination is poor, raising the temperature by covering the seed with glass can help[3]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a cold frame for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. If you have sufficient seed, it can be sown in an outdoor seedbed, either as soon as it is ripe or in the early spring - do not cover the spring sown seed. Grow the plants on in the seedbed for 2 years before planting them out into their permanent positions in the winter[10][11][2][3].
Cultivation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Succeeds in a well-drained loamy soil in a sunny position[1][6]. Tolerates most soils including poor soils and heavy clays[6]. Fairly wind tolerant[6]. A fast-growing but short-lived species[6]. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus[9]. A good plant to grow near the compost heap, aiding the fermentation process[5]. This plant is closely related to B. papyrifera, and possibly no more than a sub-species of that species[1][6]. Trees are notably susceptible to honey fungus[6].
References
Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981-00-00
Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987-00-00 ISBN 0942375009
Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 2. Thompson and Morgan. 1988-00-00
Schofield. J. J. Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest.
Riotte. L. Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. Garden Way, Vermont, USA. 1978-00-00 ISBN 0-88266-064-0
Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Duke. J. Handbook of Energy Crops - 1983-00-00
Flora of N. America http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/
? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964-00-00
Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948-00-00
McMillan-Browse. P. Hardy Woody Plants from Seed. Grower Books 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-901361-21-6
Sargent. C. S. Manual of the Trees of N. America. Dover Publications Inc. New York. 1965-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20278-X
Schofield. J. J. Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest. ()
Duke. J. Handbook of Energy Crops - (1983-00-00)