Betula occidentalis
Water 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
- 9 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[16]. The buds and twigs are used as a flavouring in stews[16]. Inner bark - raw or cooked. Best in the spring[16]. Inner bark can be dried, ground into a meal and used as a thickener in soups, or be 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[16]. The sap can be used as a refreshing drink or beer, it can also be concentrated into a syrup by boiling off much of the water[K]. Harvested in spring, the flow is best on a sunny day following a frost. 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.\"[17].
- 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[5]. A decoction of the flowers and leaves has been used as an abortifacient[9].
- Product or use
- Abortifacient
- 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[5]. The thin outer bark is waterproof and has been used as the cladding on canoes and dwellings, and also to make containers[9]. A brown dye is obtained from the inner bark[9]. Wood - close-grained, soft but strong[15]. Trees do not grow large enough to be of use for lumber, but the wood is used locally for fence posts[8] and is also a good fuel[5]. The bark can be used as a kindling[5].
- Product or use
- Containers
- Product or use
- Hair care
- Product or use
- Waterproofing
Ecology and functions
- Ecosystem niche
- Secondary canopy
Environment
- Range
- Western and Central N. America.
- Habitat
- Usually found on the banks of streams or moister spots in forests, it is also occasionally found in drier sites[12][8].
- Light
- full sun
- Shade tolerance
- light shade
- Water
- moderate
- Soil textures
- sandy, loamy, clay, heavy clay
- Soil pH
- acid, neutral, alkaline
- Drainage
- well drained
- Tolerances
- high wind
- Wind
- Yes
- 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[13][14][3][4]. Only just cover the seed and place the pot in a sunny position[13][14][4]. Spring sown seed should be surface sown in a sunny position in a cold frame[3][4]. If the germination is poor, raising the temperature by covering the seed with glass can help[4]. 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[13][14][3][4].
Cultivation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Succeeds in a well-drained loamy soil in a sunny position[2][7]. Tolerates most soils including poor soils and heavy clays[7]. Fairly wind tolerant[7]. A fast-growing but short-lived tree[7]. A very ornamental plant[1], it hybridizes freely with other members of this genus[11]. It hybridizes in the wild with B. papyrifera[2]. A good plant to grow near the compost heap, aiding the fermentation process[6]. Trees are notably susceptible to honey fungus[7].
References
F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00
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
Elias. T. The Complete Trees of N. America. Field Guide and Natural History. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. 1980-00-00 ISBN 0442238622
Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Duke. J. Handbook of Energy Crops - 1983-00-00
? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964-00-00
Hitchcock. C. L. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press 1955-00-00
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)