Practical
Plants

Betula populifolia

Grey Birch

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

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

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.

Inner bark - cooked or dried and ground into a meal. The meal can be used as a thickener in soups etc, 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[177, K]. Sap - sweet. Harvested in early spring, before the leaves unfurl, by tapping the trunk. The flow is best on warm days that follow frosty nights. The sap is drunk as a sweet beverage or it can be fermented to make birch beer or vinegar[20][21]. 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.\"[22].

Plant part
Inner bark
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 astringent. a decoction has been used to treat bleeding piles[12]. Scrapings of the inner bark have been used to treat swellings in infected cuts[12].

Product or use
Astringent

Material uses

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

A pioneer species, readily invading old fields, burnt-over or cleared land and providing suitable conditions for other woodland trees to become established[9]. It is an excellent crop for very poor soils, where it grows rapidly and affords protection to the seedlings of more valuable and slower-growing trees[19]. Since this species is short-lived and not very shade tolerant, it is eventually out-competed by these other trees[9]. Wood - close-grained, soft, light, weak, not durable[16][19][10][11]. It weighs 36lb per cubic foot[11]. Unimportant commercially, the wood is used locally for making clothes pegs, spools, pulp, charcoal and quite commonly as a fuel[16][19][10].

Product or use
Charcoal
Product or use
Wood

Ecology and functions

Ecosystem niche
Canopy, Secondary canopy

Environment

Range
Eastern N. America - Quebec to Virginia and west to Indiana
Habitat
Found on the margins of swamps and ponds, it also commonly grows in dry sandy or gravelly barren soils, growing well in poor almost sterile soils[19][10].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 4+
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[17][18][3][4]. Only just cover the seed and place the pot in a sunny position[17][18][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[17][18][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][8]. Tolerates most soils doing well on poor ones[1] and on heavy clays. A fast growing tree, though it rarely lives longer than 50 years[8][10]. It is a pioneer species of abandoned fields, burnt-over lands, cleared woodlands etc[8][10]. A fairly wind-tolerant plant[8], but it is shallow-rooted and older trees are often uprooted by winds and heavy snow in the wild[10]. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus[15], especially with B. papyrifera[14]. A good plant to grow near the compost heap, aiding the fermentation process[7]. Trees are notably susceptible to honey fungus[8].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩

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

    ↩

  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. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

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

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

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

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

    ↩1↩2

  10. 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↩5↩6

  11. 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

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩1↩2

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

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

    ↩

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

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

  19. 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↩4

  20. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books ISBN 3874292169 (1984-00-00)

    ↩

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

    ↩

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

    ↩

Edit this page