Practical
Plants

Betula papyrifera

Paper Birch

a perennial woody deciduous member of the Betula genus in the family Betulaceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Betula
Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
deciduous
Woodiness
woody
Growth rate
vigorous
Height
20 m
Spread
5 m
Fertility
Wind
Flower type
monoecious
Pollinators
Wind

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Inner bark - raw or cooked. Best in the spring[25]. The inner bark can also be dried and ground into a meal and used as a thickener in soups or be added to flour and used in 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. A sweet flavour[24]. Harvested in early spring, before the leaves unfurl, by tapping the trunk[25]. The flow is best on warm sunny days following a hard frost. The sap usually runs freely, but the sugar content is lower than in the sugar maples[27]. A pleasant sweet drink, it can also be concentrated into a syrup or sugar by boiling off much of the water[183, K]. The sap can also be fermented to make birch beer or vinegar[26]. 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.\"[29]. Very young leaves, shoots and catkins - raw or cooked[25][26]. A tea is made from the young leaves[26] and also from the root bark[28].

Plant part
Flowers
Plant part
Inner bark
Plant part
Leaves
Plant part
Sap
Product or use
Sweetener
Product or use
Tea

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.

Paper birch was often employed medicinally by many native North American Indian tribes who used it especially to treat skin problems[14]. It is little used in modern herbalism. The bark is antirheumatic, astringent, lithontripic, salve and sedative[6]. The dried and powdered bark has been used to treat nappy rash in babies and various other skin rashes[14]. A poultice of the thin outer bark has been used as a bandage on burns[14]. A decoction of the inner bark has been used as a wash on rashes and other skin sores[14]. Taken internally, the decoction has been used to treat dysentery and various diseases of the blood[14]. The bark has been used to make casts for broken limbs. A soft material such as a cloth is placed next to the skin over the broken bone. Birch bark is then tied over the cloth and is gently heated until it shrinks to fit the limb[14]. A decoction of the wood has been used to induce sweating and to ensure an adequate supply of milk in a nursing mother[14]. A decoction of both the wood and the bark has been used to treat female ailments[14].

Product or use
Antirheumatic
Product or use
Astringent
Product or use
Febrifuge
Product or use
Miscellany
Product or use
Sedative
Product or use
Skin

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The thin outer bark is used to make drinking vessels, canoe skins, roofing tiles, buckets etc[2][17][19][6][14]. This material was very widely used by various native North American Indian tribes, it is waterproof, durable, tough and resinous[17][22][14]. Only the thin outer bark is removed, this does not kill the tree[23]. It is most easily removed in late spring to early summer[23]. The outer bark has also been used as emergency sun-glasses in order to prevent snow-blindness[11]. A strip of bark 4 - 5cm wide is placed over the eyes, the natural openings (lenticels) in the bark serving as apertures for the eyes[11]. A brown to red dye can be made from the inner bark[14]. A pioneer species, it rapidly invades deforested areas (such as after a forest fire or logging) and creates suitable conditions for other woodland trees to follow. Because it cannot grow or reproduce very successfully in the shade it is eventually out-competed by the other woodland trees[11]. The tree has an extensive root system and can be planted to control banks from erosion[11]. The bark is a good tinder[6]. An infusion of the leaves is used as a hair shampoo, it is effective against dandruff[23][6]. The thin outer bark can be used as a paper substitute. It is carefully peeled off the tree and used as it is[6]. A fibre is obtained from the inner bark and another from the heartwood, these are used in making paper[8]. The heartwood fibre is 0.8 - 2.7mm long, that from the bark is probably longer[8]. The branches of the tree can be harvested in spring or summer, the leaves and outer bark are removed, the branches are steamed and the fibres stripped off[8]. Wood - strong, hard, light, very close grained, elastic, not durable. It weighs 37lb per cubic foot and is used for turnery, veneer, pulp etc[17][22][23][5][12][13]. It is also used as a fuel[17][5]. It splits easily and gives off considerable heat even when green, but tends to quickly coat chimneys with a layer of tar[11].

Product or use
Dye
Product or use
Fuel
Product or use
Hair care
Product or use
Paper
Product or use
Waterproofing
Product or use
Wood

Ecology and functions

Ecosystem niche
Canopy, Secondary canopy

Environment

Range
Northern N. America to Greenland.
Habitat
Woods, usually on slopes, edges of ponds, streams and swamps etc[16][22]. Found in a wide range of soil conditions, but the best specimens are found in well-drained sandy-loam soils[12].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 1+
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[20][21][3][4]. Only just cover the seed and place the pot in a sunny position[20][21][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[20][21][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][10]. Tolerates most soils including poor soils and heavy clays[10]. Fairly wind tolerant[10]. This species is very unhappy on our windy site in Cornwall[K]. A fast-growing but short-lived species[10]. It is often a pioneer species of areas ravaged by fire[12]. The trunk and branches are easily killed by fire, though the tree usually regenerates from the roots[12]. It hybridizes freely with other members of this genus[18]. This species was an exceedingly important tree for the Indians - they utilized it for a very wide range of applications and it was a central item in their economy[11]. A good plant to grow near the compost heap, aiding the fermentation process[9]. Trees are notably susceptible to honey fungus[10].

References

  1. Kavasch. B. Native Harvests. Vintage Books 1979-00-00 ISBN 0-394-72811-4

  2. Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  3. Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987-00-00 ISBN 0942375009

    ↩1↩2↩3

  4. Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 2. Thompson and Morgan. 1988-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  5. Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  6. Schofield. J. J. Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest.

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  7. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

  8. Bell. L. A. Plant Fibres for Papermaking. Liliaceae Press 1988-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  9. Riotte. L. Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. Garden Way, Vermont, USA. 1978-00-00 ISBN 0-88266-064-0

    ↩

  10. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  11. Lauriault. J. Identification Guide to the Trees of Canada Fitzhenry and Whiteside, Ontario. 1989-00-00 ISBN 0889025649

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

  12. Elias. T. The Complete Trees of N. America. Field Guide and Natural History. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. 1980-00-00 ISBN 0442238622

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  13. Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970-00-00 ISBN 0-486-22642-5

    ↩

  14. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7↩8↩9↩10↩11

  15. Duke. J. Handbook of Energy Crops - 1983-00-00

  16. Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950-00-00

    ↩

  17. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  18. ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964-00-00

    ↩

  19. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩

  20. Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  21. McMillan-Browse. P. Hardy Woody Plants from Seed. Grower Books 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-901361-21-6

    ↩1↩2↩3

  22. Sargent. C. S. Manual of the Trees of N. America. Dover Publications Inc. New York. 1965-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20278-X

    ↩1↩2↩3

  23. Turner. N. J. Plants in British Columbian Indian Technology. British Columbia Provincial Museum 1979-00-00 ISBN 0-7718-8117-7

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  24. Kavasch. B. Native Harvests. Vintage Books ISBN 0-394-72811-4 (1979-00-00)

    ↩

  25. Schofield. J. J. Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest. ()

    ↩1↩2↩3

  26. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications ISBN 0-9628087-0-9 (1990-00-00)

    ↩1↩2↩3

  27. Lauriault. J. Identification Guide to the Trees of Canada Fitzhenry and Whiteside, Ontario. ISBN 0889025649 (1989-00-00)

    ↩

  28. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. ISBN 0-88192-453-9 (1998-00-00)

    ↩

  29. Duke. J. Handbook of Energy Crops - (1983-00-00)

    ↩

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