Silver birch

The silver birch is a graceful and attractive tree with its light airy foliage and distinctive white peeling bark. It has been an inspiration to writers, poets and artists in every season throughout the centuries.

What other names does it have?

Can also be known as	Beith (Gaelic and Old Irish) Begh (Irish) Paper Birch (Wiltshire) Ribbon Tree (Lincolnshire)
Generic name	Birch
Latin name	Betula pendula
Family name	Birch
Latin family name	Betulaceae

What type of tree is it?

Is it a broadleaf or conifer?	It is a broadleaf
Does it lose its leaves in autumn?	Yes, it is deciduous

Species description:

Average height	18-25m

Leaf

Description	A very triangular leaf with 'double teeth' (the teeth have teeth) up straight sides
Shape	Heart/Triangular
Colour	Pale green
Colour of leaves in autumn	Golden-yellow
Leaf bud	Big, long, sharp buds on slender shoots
Leaf stalk	Long stalk
Leaf arrangement	Alternate
Leaf burst usually occurs	March-April

Flower, seed, and fruit

Type of flower	Catkin
Flowering season	April-May
Tree/flower sex	Both sexes
Fruit colour	Brown
Fruit season	September-October
Type of seed body	Catkin
Seeds dispersed by	Wind

Bark and twig

Bark description	White and papery bark with black cracks or fissures
Twig Description	Purple-brown with rough white spots on the shoots. The spots are particularly prominent on twigs that are in the sun

What other trees are similar?

Can easily be confused with?	Downy birch - which has slightly hairy stems and leaf stalks. The leaves of the downy birch are also more rounded and less strictly triangular

Where is it usually found?

Is it native or non-native to the British Isles?	Native
Where is its natural range?	Britain and Ireland
Preferred soil type or environmental conditions?	It prefers sandy or acidic soils although it is common in most conditions
What is its British conservation status?	Common

Additional information

Human uses of tree and timber

Birch has a number of human uses. The timber has traditionally been used in Scotland in houses, furniture, carts, ploughs, gates and fences. While other parts of the UK used to shun the use of birch except for its traditional use of broomsticks. Today, Birch timber has a variety of uses and large amounts of birch brushwood are used annually for racecourse jumps. Other parts of the tree were also useful. The bark was used for tanning leather and the sap was thought to have medicinal benefits for kidney stones and other ailments. The sap was also useful as it is a good source of sugar and can be brewed into beer or wine. Silver birch wine is still commercially made in Scotland.

Tree lore and folklore

Birch, the tree of Venus, has a number of properties associated with it. Birch is believed to protect against evil spirits and the evil eye but it also symbolises love and fertility. In medieval times, a bundle of birch twigs was carried by the local magistrate on his way to court as a symbol of his authority and as a means of correction. The use of the birch as a punishment probably originates in the need to drive out evil spirits.

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