Betula pendula ROTH

Birch

History

Birches and poplars already dominated in the antiquity the meadows of the bordering countries of the North. The birch was also the most characteristic tree for the Teutons and Slavs, which they considered the "sacred, magical tree" that personified the spring.
Its botanical term betula does not derive from the Latin, but from the celta.El birch was very appreciated by the ancient Celts who used the tree in the initiatory rituals. The druids used the birch branches with dew to welcome the new members of the community. In the Celtic calendar, the birch is the first tree that symbolizes the period from December 24 to January 20. They say that in Sweden, if a young woman wanted to marry during the current year, it was enough to rub against a birch tree near a pond so that her wish could be fulfilled. Even today, birch enjoys, especially in all the Nordic countries, a extraordinary reputation of magic tree.
Botanical characteristicsThe birch is a beautiful tree. Its silver-white bark, when the tree is young, becomes brown and cracked. The flexible branches and their pendulums give the tree a certain languid and graceful aspect despite its height that can reach 30 meters. The leaves are alternate, triangular, with long petiole, very dentate and a nice bright green color in the beam. The flowers, unisexual and yellowish green, are arranged in hanging triggers or catkins. On the same tree there are male and female catkins. The masculine ones fall once their mission is fulfilled and the feminine triggers are conserved until their maturity, dispersing with the air the frutitos in verano.Florece in April and May and their fruits mature in summer. In October, before releasing the last yellowish leaves, the triggers, which will open their flowers in the spring, are already formed. While the new buds that will give life to new twigs, poke through the back of the leaves.
The leaves of birch, the catkins and the bark are excellent diuretics, and in popular medicine they are used to purify the blood and in cures of spring asthenia. In Finland they often hit their backs with fine birch branches during the sauna. With this technique, the sanguineous irrigation of the skin and the cutaneous metabolism are stimulated. It was not until the Middle Ages, when they began, with the Abbess Hildegarda, the first knowledge and mentions about the medicinal virtues of this tree.

Habitat

The birch is native to Eurasia, and can be found throughout the Mediterranean basin and up to 65º north latitude. It grows in arid zones and dunes, in wetlands and banks. It prefers torva, sand, ferrous soils, it is very adaptable and it supports frosts very well. Due to its enormous capacity to resist all types of terrains, it can cause habitat for other botanical species. You can find birches at altitudes of up to 2,000 meters.