Facts on the European White Birch
Also known as silver birch, the European white birch (Betula pendula) is a tall, slender tree which grows up to 50 feet tall, making long, swaying branches lined with triangular, tooth-edged leaves. The bark of this shrub is silvery white, with a flaky, peeling texture that’s reminiscent of this paper birch (Betula papyrifera). Throughout history, the European white birch was used for reasons ranging from brewing beer into building ships.
Location
The European white birch is a shrub that prefers cold weather and that may be discovered in high-elevation locations and open woodland and heaths in northern Asia, Russia, and western Siberia. The European white birch will expand in partially shaded or full sunlight spots in USDA zones 2 to 7. In accordance with Plants for a Future, this is a suitable tree for developing next to a compost heap because its roots can help the fermentation process. Since its roots improve the soil, other plants may gain from growing close to the tree.
Crafts
The bark can be peeled off in the late spring or early summer and used to make a variety of crafts. The hard, resinous bark of this tree is remarkably versatile and has been used to make canoe skins, drinking vessels and roofing tiles. An oil could be extracted from the bark and used as an insect repellent or cologne. Eliminating the bark does not kill the tree. The wood of this tree may be used for toys, furniture and paper.
Edibility
Plants for a Future notes that, although not especially yummy, the inner bark of this tree could be ground into a meal and used as a source of starch through times of famine. The sap can be harvested in the spring, boiled, and forced into a syrup. The sap has also been fermented into beer in the past. Plants for a Future notes that the leaves may be eaten cooked or raw and steeped with warm water for tea, and also that the youthful catkins could be eaten cooked or raw.
Cultivars
Numerous cultivars are available for landscape use. These include”Golden Cloud,” a number that produces yellowish leaves all year long;”Youngii,” a cultivar with a weeping habit; and”Dalecarlica,” a variety with deeply cut, 3-inch long leaves. Cultivars with purplish leaves comprise”Purpurea,””Monte,” and”Purple Splendor.” As stated by the University of Connecticut Extension Service, purple-leaved cultivars tend to be less durable than other forms, often falling prey to insects such as borers.