What kind of leaves does a birch have? The magic of birch - how to take advantage of the healing power of buds, bark and birch sap

Cherry tomatoes differ from their larger counterparts not only in the small size of their berries. Many cherry varieties are characterized by a unique sweet taste, which is very different from the classic tomato taste. Anyone who has never tried such cherry tomatoes with their eyes closed may well decide that they are tasting some unusual Exotic fruits. In this article I will talk about five different cherry tomatoes that have the sweetest fruits with unusual colors.

Salad with spicy chicken, mushrooms, cheese and grapes - aromatic and satisfying. This dish can be served as a main dish if you are preparing a cold dinner. Cheese, nuts, mayonnaise are high-calorie foods; in combination with spicy fried chicken and mushrooms, you get a very nutritious snack, which is refreshed by sweet and sour grapes. The chicken in this recipe is marinated in a spicy mixture of ground cinnamon, turmeric and chili powder. If you like food with fire, use hot chili.

All summer residents are concerned about the question of how to grow healthy seedlings in early spring. It seems that there are no secrets here - the main thing for fast and strong seedlings is to provide them with warmth, moisture and light. But in practice, in a city apartment or private house, this is not so easy to do. Of course, every experienced gardener has his own proven method of growing seedlings. But today we will talk about a relatively new assistant in this matter - the propagator.

The task of indoor plants in the house is to decorate the home with their appearance and create a special atmosphere of comfort. For this reason, we are ready to take care of them regularly. Care is not only about watering on time, although this is important. It is also necessary to create other conditions: suitable lighting, humidity and air temperature, and make a correct and timely transplant. For experienced flower growers there is nothing supernatural about this. But beginners often face certain difficulties.

Tender chicken breast cutlets with champignons are easy to prepare using this recipe with step-by-step photos. There is an opinion that it is difficult to make juicy and tender cutlets from chicken breast, but this is not so! Chicken meat contains virtually no fat, which is why it is a bit dry. But if you add cream to the chicken fillet, White bread and mushrooms and onions will turn out amazing delicious cutlets, which will appeal to both children and adults. IN mushroom season try adding wild mushrooms to the minced meat.

Beautiful garden, blooming throughout the season, it is impossible to imagine without perennials. These flowers do not require as much attention as annuals, they are frost-resistant, and only sometimes need a little shelter for the winter. Different types of perennials do not bloom at the same time, and the duration of their flowering can vary from one week to 1.5–2 months. In this article we suggest recalling the most beautiful and unpretentious perennial flowers.

All gardeners strive to obtain fresh, environmentally friendly and aromatic vegetables from their gardens. Relatives happily accept home-cooked meals from their own potatoes, tomatoes and salads. But there is a way to show off your culinary skills to even greater effect. To do this, you should try to grow several aromatic plants that will add new tastes and aromas to your dishes. What greens in the garden can be considered the best from a culinary point of view?

Radish salad with egg and mayonnaise, which I made from Chinese radish. This radish is often called Loba radish in our stores. The outside of the vegetable is covered with a light green peel, and when cut open there is pink flesh that looks exotic. When preparing, it was decided to focus on the smell and taste of the vegetable and make a traditional salad. It turned out very tasty, we didn’t detect any “nutty” notes, but it was nice to eat a light spring salad in winter.

The graceful perfection of shining white flowers on tall stalks and huge shiny dark leaves of Eucharis give it the appearance of a classic star. In indoor culture, this is one of the most famous bulbous plants. Few plants cause so much controversy. Some eucharis bloom and delight with absolutely no effort, while others do not produce more than two leaves for many years and seem stunted. It is very difficult to classify the Amazon lily as an unpretentious plant.

Kefir pizza pancakes - delicious pancakes with mushrooms, olives and mortadella, easy to prepare in less than half an hour. You don’t always have time to prepare yeast dough and turn on the oven, but sometimes you want to eat a slice of pizza without leaving home. In order not to go to the nearest pizzeria, wise housewives came up with this recipe. Pancakes like pizza are a great idea for a quick dinner or breakfast. We use sausage, cheese, olives, tomatoes, and mushrooms as filling.

Growing vegetables at home is quite a feasible task. The main thing is desire and a little patience. Most greens and vegetables can be successfully grown on a city balcony or kitchen windowsill. There are advantages here compared to growing in open ground: in such conditions your plants are protected from low temperatures, many diseases and pests. And if your loggia or balcony is glazed and insulated, then you can practically grow vegetables all year round

We grow many vegetable and flower crops using seedlings, which allows us to get an earlier harvest. But creating ideal conditions is very difficult: plants lack sunlight, dry air, drafts, untimely watering, soil and seeds may initially contain pathogenic microorganisms. These and other reasons often lead to depletion and sometimes to the death of young seedlings, because they are the most sensitive to adverse factors

Thanks to the efforts of breeders in Lately The range of coniferous perennials has been replenished with a number of unusual varieties with yellow needles. It seems that the most original ideas, which landscape designers have not yet been able to bring to life, were just waiting in the wings. And from all this variety of yellow-coniferous plants, you can always choose the species and varieties that the best way suitable for the site. We will talk about the most interesting of them in the article.

Chocolate whiskey truffles - homemade dark chocolate truffles. In my opinion, this is one of the simplest and most delicious homemade desserts for adults, unfortunately, the younger generation can only lick their lips on the sidelines, these candies are not for kids. Truffles are made with different fillings, filled with nuts, candied fruits or dried fruits. Roll in biscuit, shortbread or nut crumbs. You can make a whole box of homemade assorted chocolates based on this recipe!

Birch wood has a uniform structure. It contains practically no natural resins. Materials made from this wood have high strength, especially under impact loads. Often used for furniture production.

Birch comes to the market in the form of round timber, lumber, as sliced ​​or peeled veneer, and also in the form of plywood. The material is very easy to process, does not chip, is easy to paint, polish, and bends well when steamed.

Birch wood has the necessary properties that allow it to be widely used in interior finishing work. Birch boards can easily be imitated to resemble most valuable tree species.

Most of the wood produced today goes into the production of veneer and plywood. Despite its pliability, flexibility and elasticity, it is not popular among craftsmen.

Birch boards are a common lumber for work around the house. As a result of the fact that birch wood is quite elastic and soft, it is easy to process, and at the same time it is much harder than poplar or linden.

Solid dry birch board is used only for interior works. It is not suitable as a material for building a house because it is highly vulnerable to fungus and moisture.

Such properties indicate successful use birch veneer plywood as a material for interior decoration and furniture production, but its use for exterior work is not recommended, because this wood is susceptible to rotting and warping in conditions of high humidity. Birch plywood is much stronger than other types, easy to process and optimal for further painting or any other type of finishing.

Application areas of birch wood

Birch wood is widely used in carpentry and furniture production and for the manufacture of various household crafts.

Birch plywood finds wide application from home craftsmen. Various wall shelves, openwork flower stands, and light furniture are made from it. Plywood is also used for cladding wall panels indoors, to create various partitions, and to change the interior. It should be noted that birch plywood can be successfully used instead of drywall.

The furniture is made from solid birch, or I use birch veneer for cladding. In this case, the external surfaces are either tinted with stains or left with the natural color of the wood, because birch itself has a beautiful light pattern.

Birch wood parquet has high performance properties; the service life of such flooring is many years.

Birch is widely used for making various crafts at home. Kitchen cutting boards, knife handles, spoons, combs, various stands, boxes, toys, chess pieces, etc.

Birch can be turned very well on lathes, so a large number of different items are successfully made from it. Containers for bulk products, trays, vases, plates, candy bowls, various souvenirs.

Due to the fact that birch is cut in various directions without chipping, it is widely used by woodcarvers. It is especially suitable for small works, various miniature figurines, small carvings on products, small wooden paintings, and icons. Birch slats are used to make carved frames for mirrors, paintings and photographs.

Birch veneer is widely used in marquetry and intarsia. The blanks can be etched with stains, which results in a wide range of colors, or you can select raw veneer according to natural shades to create pictures on furniture surfaces.

Home craftsmen make tool handles and axes from birch.

This wood is used in the manufacture of stocks for hunting rifles, sports spears and discs, and skis. Certain parts of musical instruments are also made from this wood. Bushings, bearings, and gears are made from pressed birch.

Barrels made of birch wood do not give off any odor, so they are widely used for storing food.

In industrial production, high-quality cellulose is produced from birch, which is subsequently used as raw material for paper mills.

Scientific classification		Physical properties
Domain:	Eukaryotes	Average Density:	610-650 kg/m³
Kingdom:	Plants	Density limits:	460-830 kg/m³
Department:	Flowering	Longitudinal shrinkage:	0,6 %
Class:	Dicotyledons	Radial shrinkage:	5,3 %
Order:	Beech-flowered	Tangential shrinkage:	7,8 %
Family:	Birch	Radial swelling:	0,29 %
Genus:	Tangential swelling:	0,41 %
International scientific name		Bend strength:	120 N/mm²
Betula L. (1753)		Compressive strength:	60 N/mm²
Type species		Tensile strength:	137 N/mm²
Betula alba L.,nom. utique rej. = Betula pubescens Ehrh.— Fluffy birch		Thermal conductivity:	0.142 W/km
		Fuel properties
		4.3 kWh/kg

Types of birch

According to the website of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the genus has 113 species and hybrids, the most famous of which are:

• Cherry birch ( Betula lenta). View from North America with shiny reddish-brown or almost black bark.
• Dwarf birch ( Betula nana). A shrub usually no more than 1 m high with small rounded leaves; grows in Europe in swamps and swampy pine forests.
• Low birch, or squat birch ( Betula humilis). Shrub up to 2 m high with elliptical leaves; grows in Europe along the banks of reservoirs and in swamps.
• Silver birch, or Warty birch, or Drooping birch, or Drooping birch ( Betula pendula). A species widespread in Europe and Siberia; also found in northern Africa. The bark is snow-white to grayish-white. The height is usually 10-15 m, sometimes up to 30 m. Young shoots are bare and warty (unlike pubescent birch, whose young shoots are pubescent and without warts).
• Birch is useful ( Betula utilis). A species from the Himalayas, up to 18 m high, with light, smooth bark.
• Downy birch, or pubescent birch ( Betula pubescens). In the European part of Russia it often grows next to the warty birch. For information on how to distinguish these species, see above. It is a nomenclature type.
• Black birch ( Betula nigra). View from eastern North America. Young trees have white and smooth bark, while older trees have dark, wrinkled bark. Presumably ancestral species
• Erman Birch, or Stone Birch ( Betula ermanii). Found in Kamchatka, Sakhalin, and along the shores of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. Named stone for extremely hard, dense and heavy wood that sinks in water.

Useful tables

The strength of wood is 12% humidity

Type of birch	With static bending	When fibers are compressed	For radial chipping	For tangential cutting
Daurskaya	1202-105 Pa	601.44-105 Pa	125-105 Pa	152-105 Pa
Ribbed	1265.6-105 Pa	628.32-105 Pa	138.43-105 Pa	172-105 Pa
Stone	1266-105 Pa	609-105 Pa	—	—

Specific gravity indicators

Changes in the properties of thermally modified birch and spruce wood in comparison with unmodified wood

Wood sample	T	W	ρ b	A	β	σ w	σ w	W	W
	(°C)		(kg/m3)			(MPa)	(MPa)
1
Birch thermo.				10,7	11,1	78,5	73,1		117,8
Birch unmodified				15,3	20,5	68,7	130,86	15,4	124,5
Change
Spruce thermo.						56,4	74,37	11,1	197,8
Spruce unmodified					11,1	44,4	63,8	14,9	245,7
Change

Specific (specific, mass) thermal capacity of deciduous wood

The amount of heat (thermal energy) required to heat a substance by 1 degree.	Category.	State.	Units of specific heat capacity.	The value of specific heat capacity.	Type of information in the table.	A source of information.
Specific heat capacity of BIRCH	Thermophysical properties	Natural deciduous tree from the birch family	kJ/kg per 1 degree	1.25	Reference data	Directory of physical properties of substances and materials.

Silver birch is a tree known to everyone without exception from early childhood. Folk legends and fairy tales are woven around the culture; legends and omens are associated with it. In nature, warty birch grows almost everywhere. This is a deciduous crop used on the farm in the form of bathhouse brooms, firewood, wood and birch bark. Spreading downy or warty birch often decorates forest belts along settlements. She is not a rare visitor personal plots. Despite the popularity of various exotic large trees, many owners of modern estates decorate them with trees traditional for the area. Among them, silver birch or downy birch takes an honorable leading place, since it is distinguished by its unpretentiousness to growing conditions, rapid vegetative development and excellent decorative characteristics.

See what the silver birch looks like in the photo and in the description offered on this page, study this amazing culture:

Botanical description of silver birch

Downy birch is the most popular tree in our country and, perhaps, the most beautiful. It is difficult to find another tree equal to it in beauty.

Starting the description of the downy birch, it is worth noting that this tree is a mesophanerophyte, a single-stemmed deciduous tree, monoecious.

Continuing the botanical description of silver birch, it is worth saying that its height reaches 20 m in height, has a trunk with smooth white bark, dark and deeply fissured at the base. The branches are drooping, one-year-old branches are red-brown, covered with resinous warts. The leaves are triangular or rhombic-ovate, broadly wedge-shaped at the base, 3.5–7 cm long. The nut is oblong-elliptical, the wings are 2–3 times wider than the nut.

Continuing to consider the characteristics of silver birch, we will tell you that it blooms in the spring, at a time when its buds are just beginning to bloom, and the leaves are still very small. The flowering of the tree is not difficult to notice: long yellowish catkins hang down from thin branches. These are male inflorescences consisting of many staminate flowers. The earrings produce a large amount of yellow powdery pollen, which is carried far by the wind.

Birch “dusts” very profusely. If it rains during the period of pollen dispersal, light yellow spots and stains appear on the steps of the porch and on the roofs of houses located near birch trees.

Women's earrings are much smaller than men's, inconspicuous, inconspicuous, similar to small greenish mouse tails. They are no thicker than a match. These catkins contain many tiny female flowers, consisting of only one pistil. After flowering, female catkins grow greatly. They turn into small green “cylinders”, which at the end of summer turn brown and begin to crumble into separate parts, small three-lobed scales and tiny membranous fruits.

See what a downy birch looks like in the photo, which shows the trunk, branches, leaves and other important parts of the tree:

Silver birch fruit

The fruits of silver birch begin to fall from the trees in early August. Birch fruits are so small that they are barely visible to the naked eye. An individual small fruit is somewhat reminiscent in shape of a butterfly with wide-open wings: in the center there is an elongated seed, on the sides there are two oval wings, which are the thinnest films. Due to its insignificant weight and membranous wings, the birch fruit can be spread by the wind over a considerable distance.

Small birch fruits are often called seeds. But from a botanical point of view, this is incorrect: each of them is formed from the pistil of an extremely small birch flower. However, botanical details are sometimes neglected and the word “seeds” is still used. This is what foresters do, for example, when talking about birch seeds. This has a certain meaning: in ordinary life, a seed is everything that, when sown, produces a new plant. This includes both the seeds themselves and dry fruits containing only one seed. Calling everything with one word “seeds” is in many cases convenient, and it is also more understandable for people who are not very experienced in botany. Of course, where required, a strict distinction must be made between fruits and seeds.

A few words about birch bark.

Birch bark is a protective cover of a tree. It consists of many dead empty cells, tightly glued together with a special substance. These cells are arranged in the same way as well-laid bricks: there are no spaces between them. The cell membranes have undergone a suberization process. Thanks to this, birch bark, like cork, is impermeable to water and gases. But how then do living stem cells breathe? After all, they, like all living things, need oxygen. Breathing is carried out through special vents in the birch bark, the so-called lentils. They look like rather large lines that run across the trunk. Lentils consist of loose tissue, between the cells of which there are spaces - intercellular spaces. Air passes through them. The lentils close for the winter; the spaces between the cells are filled with a special substance. But in the spring they open again.

Anyone who tore off a piece of birch bark noticed that it was layered. An individual layer is slightly thicker than a sheet of paper and is tightly connected to its neighbors. In short, birch bark is somewhat reminiscent of a thin book with many pages stuck together. Each such “page” consists of many suberized cells and grows within one year. The oldest layers of birch bark are on the surface of the trunk, the youngest are in the depths.

Birch bark does not appear on the trunk of a warty birch tree immediately, but only at a certain age. Small birch trees that grow from seed, when their trunk still looks like a twig, have a brownish bark. Only after a dozen or two years does a solid white cover of birch bark form on the tree trunk.

Distribution of silver birch or warty birch

Silver birch or warty birch has a wide distribution area, covering the entire European part of Russia, Western Siberia, Central Asia and the Caucasus. Drooping birch in the Northern, Middle and Southern Urals widespread and is the main forest-forming species of small-leaved forests, forming the second layer in pine-birch forests. Occasionally found in the southern regions of the Polar Urals, exclusively in river valleys outside mountain areas.

Downy birch in the Northern, Middle and Southern Urals is distributed sporadically in all regions; it prefers damp swampy forests, the edges of sphagnum bogs, floodplains, clearings and burnt areas. In the Polar Urals it is found occasionally, mainly in mountain small forests.

By studying the description of the warty birch, you can learn the interesting fact that it is called a pioneer tree. It is the first of the tree species to take over any free piece of land: abandoned arable land, exposed slopes near roads, fires, etc. This is the first settler in any areas freed from forest. Birch can be found even in places that seem completely unsuitable for plants in general: on the eaves of old stone houses, crumbling brick walls, etc.

The wide distribution of birch is due to two reasons. Firstly, because its tiny winged fruits are easily carried by the wind and often end up very far from the mother tree. And secondly, birch is unpretentious tree species. It can grow in almost any soil, from very dry and poor sand to lowland swamps, where there is excess water and many nutrients. In this respect, it surpasses even the extremely unassuming pine. But birch is very light-loving and does not tolerate shading at all. Therefore, it is usually replaced by other trees in the forest sooner or later.

The eternal enemy of birch is spruce. This conifer tree often settles under the canopy of a birch forest and feels great here. Who hasn’t seen an old birch forest with numerous young fir trees? Sometimes there are so many of them that they form impenetrable thickets. Time passes, young fir trees grow up and displace the birch tree, which once gave them shelter under its canopy. In place of the birch forest, a spruce forest reigns. In the natural course of events, if there are no fires or human intervention, the spruce forest will never give way to the birch forest.

Old spruce trees in the forest will gradually die off, one after another, and younger ones will take their place. Birch is denied access here.

But then a lumberjack came to the spruce forest. A few hours of work - and all that was left of the spruce forest were stumps. This is where the birch takes revenge: young birch trees quickly appear in the clearing. It grows up and turns into a birch forest. But soon young fir trees settle under the canopy of birch trees, and everything repeats all over again.

So, if you see a birch forest in nature, it is almost always a derivative forest. It was formed on the site of a cut down indigenous forest, most often coniferous.

See what the warty birch looks like in the photo, which illustrates the facts of the struggle of this tree with coniferous species:

Reproduction of silver birch

Silver birch seeds, having fallen from the tree, are able to germinate immediately if conditions are favorable for this. But if, once on the ground, they find themselves in an unsuitable environment (for example, on the surface of dry soil), then germination, of course, does not occur. However, the seeds do not die, but rather go into hibernation. Any description of silver birch says that the seeds retain their ability to germinate for several years. All this time they can lie in a dormant state somewhere in the forest floor or in the very top layer forest soil. When suitable conditions appear, they will begin to germinate.

In addition to seeds, birch, like many others deciduous trees, can reproduce by shoots from a stump. After an adult, not too old tree is cut down, a mass of young shoots grows from the stump. Over time, they greatly increase in size and become cramped. The stronger survive, the weak die. There are fewer and fewer stems. In the end, there are usually no more than four or five of them left, and they grow into mature trees.

Birch trees grown from a stump have a characteristic trunk shape - they look like sabers. Each trunk is slightly curved at the base, and then straightens and grows almost vertically. These trunks are always collected in a bunch. That is why in birch groves we so often see not single trees, but entire “families” of two, three or more trunks. Not everyone will guess that a bunch of trunks is nothing more than twin trees, shoots from one stump. After all, by this time the mother’s stump is completely destroyed and nothing remains of it.

What benefits does birch give to humans, what is it good for?

The economic uses of this tree are wide and varied. Birch firewood produces a lot of heat and in this regard is probably second only to oak firewood. Skis, furniture, and various turning products are made from birch. The painful swellings on the trunks of burl birches are of great value. These burrs, called “Karelian birch,” are widely used for various crafts (boxes, furniture decoration, etc.). Excellent coal is obtained from birch and tar is produced. Birch brooms are also in great demand. Birch bark - good remedy for lighting stoves and fires when paper or kerosene is not available. Our ancestors used birch bark as a material for writing. This is a kind of “northern papyrus”.

And who is unfamiliar with birch sap? In early spring, if the trunk is wounded, this transparent, slightly sweetish liquid oozes out drop by drop. But such “bleeding” is harmful to the tree. The plant is depleted - it is deprived of its reserves necessary for the formation of young shoots and foliage (after all, the juice carries nutrients for these organs). Through the wound, microorganisms enter living tissues and cause various tree diseases. The wound itself does not heal for a long time, becomes covered with pink mucus and has an extremely untidy appearance.

In case of functional renal failure, acute inflammatory processes in them, as well as during pregnancy, it is not recommended to use preparations based on birch raw materials, since the resinous substances contained in it have an irritating effect on the renal parenchyma.

Procurement, resources and rational use. Birch buds are collected before they bloom in the winter-spring period (from January to April). Branches with buds are dried for 3-4 weeks in the air or in cool rooms, since even at room temperature the buds can begin to bloom. After drying, the buds are threshed. Leaves are harvested in May-June during the period of full development.

Why is the birch trunk white?

Now about coloring the birch trunk. Why is he white? What colors it in White color? Birch bark cells contain a special dye, betulin. If you carelessly lean against the trunk of a young birch tree in a black jacket or coat, white spots will appear on your clothes, like chalk.

But in nature, not only the birch trunk has a white color. The petals of some flowers are also colored (for example, apple trees, strawberries, bird cherry trees). What causes their white color? It turns out that it is not at all like that of birch. White petals consist of completely transparent and colorless very small cells (like snow made of ice crystals). But between the cells there are small spaces - intercellular spaces filled with air. They reflect light strongly and create a white color effect. In other words, white coloring in many plants is achieved without any special dye. A rare exception to this rule is birch.

Interesting Facts.

In ancient pagan times, the main goddess of the Slavs was Bereginya, who was revered by the people as the mother of all earthly riches and the mistress of the spirits - forest, heaven and water. The sacred tree of Beregini was the birch, which was worshiped by “curling” its branches, decorating it with ribbons and wreaths in the spring. Belief in pagan gods has sunk into oblivion, however, among the Slavic and Baltic peoples, the beautiful white-trunked birch is still a symbol of radiance, purity, and femininity. There are about 40 species of birch in the forests of Russia, but silver birch, also called warty, downy, weeping and white, has found extremely wide use as a medicinal product.

Silver birch is a very short-lived tree. And although it is believed that it can reach an age of 300 years, in our forests trees older than 150 years are rare. But in terms of prevalence, birch groves occupy third place in our country after pine and deciduous forests.

In pre-Slavic times, the name of the tree sounded like “birza” and meant light, white, and it itself was perceived as a living, powerful creature, capable of fulfilling desires and giving health. Already in herbalists of the 16th–17th centuries there were recommendations for the use of birch leaves and buds. For medicinal purposes, it is necessary to collect tender, newly blossomed leaves before they lose their stickiness and balsamic aroma. It is in such raw materials that there are many vitamins, micro- and macroelements, tannins; there are also butyl ether, saponins, essential oils, alcohols, glycosides, etc.

Look how silver birch grows - the photo shows options for planting it on a personal plot:

genus Betula

How many songs the people composed about this tree, how many beautiful and useful things they made from it, how many huts they heated in the harsh winter with birch firewood! It is impossible to count how many the Great One has cured and saved. Russian Tree, for a long time which has become a symbol of Russia.

There are many types of birch trees growing in our country - more than 30, and you can’t always tell them apart by their appearance. Yes and no need - medicinal properties everyone has.

Biological description of birch

Most types of birches are trees 30-45 m high, with a trunk girth of up to 120-150 cm, some species are shrubs from large to small, even creeping, barely rising above the ground. All representatives of the genus are monoecious, dioecious, wind-pollinated (anemophilous) plants.

The root system of birches is powerful, depending on the type and growing conditions, either superficial or, more often, extending obliquely into the depths. The tap root of the seedling dies off very quickly, but the lateral roots develop powerfully and are rich in thin fibrous roots.

Birch grows slowly only in the first years. Then, on the contrary, it begins to grow quickly, and this ensures its victory over competing herbaceous vegetation.

The bark of most birches is white, yellowish, pinkish or reddish-brown; in some species it is gray, brown or even black. The cavities of the cork tissue cells on the trunks are filled with a white resinous substance - betulin, which gives the bark a white color. The outer part - birch bark - is usually easily peeled off with ribbons. In old trees, the lower part of the trunk is often covered with a dark crust with deep cracks.

Birch leaves are alternate, entire, serrated along the edges, ovate-rhombic or triangular-ovate, monosymmetrical, with a wide wedge-shaped base or almost truncated, smooth, up to 7 cm long and 4 cm wide, turning yellow before falling. Young leaves are sticky. The venation of the leaf blade is perfect pinnate-neural (pinnate-marginal): the lateral veins end in teeth.

Birch buds are alternate, sessile, covered with spirally arranged, often sticky scales; lateral buds slightly spaced apart.

Male flowers in complex inflorescences - catkin-shaped thyrsi - appear in the summer on the tops of elongated shoots, usually 2-3; At first they are erect and green, then gradually turn brown. Their length is 2-4 cm.

Men's birch earrings consist of numerous thyroid stalk-like, integumentary scales fused with the central flower stem, expanded towards the apex, equipped with two smaller scales below and containing inside 3 flowers.

Each flower is also covered with a scale-like perianth, in which the fertilization organs - the stamens - are located. The outside of the entire earring is covered with a resinous substance impenetrable to moisture. In this form, the earrings spend the winter.

In the spring, in March - May, depending on the climate, the shaft of the male catkin lengthens, as a result of which the scales surrounding the flower open, and yellow stamens become noticeable between them, abundantly releasing pollen. At this time, the earrings, which previously stood straight, first bend and then hang completely.

Women's birch earrings They grow on the tops of shortened shoots (brachyblasts), developing from the lateral buds of last year's shoots, and therefore always sit on the side of the branch. Simultaneously with the flowering of male catkins, leaf buds and female catkins bloom. During flowering, they are always shorter and narrower than male ones, which immediately fall off after pollination.

The bracts (fruiting) scales of female catkins are deeply three-lobed; the lateral lobes are usually shorter than the middle one. Female flowers (that is, the ovary alone) sit in threes under each bract; each ovary has 2 hanging ovules, of which, after pollination, one dries up, and the remaining one enlarges, occupying the entire cavity of the ovary.

At this time, the female fertilized earring lengthens, often a leg grows, and the earring itself thickens due to an increase in the volume of scales, gradually turning into an oval or oblong-cylindrical cone.

After the fruit ripens, which occurs quite quickly - depending on the climate, in July - September - the fruit catkin (cone) falls off and only the stem remains.

The fruit of a birch tree is a flattened, lenticular nut, bearing two dried columns at the top and surrounded by a more or less wide, thin-skinned, membranous wing. The fruits sit in groups of three in the axils of three-lobed fruiting (bracts) scales. The seeds are very light - there are 5000 seeds in one gram. They are easily carried by the wind (at a distance of up to 100 m from the mother plant), the fruits do not open.

Where does birch grow (distribution and ecology)

Many types of birch are widespread and important forest-forming species, largely determining the appearance and species composition deciduous and coniferous-deciduous (mixed) forests in the temperate and cold parts of Eurasia and North America.

There are also shrubs among the birches. The most famous of them is dwarf birch ( Betula nana) is common in the tundras of Europe and North America and the mountain tundras of Siberia. It does not even reach 1 m in height. During the glacial and post-glacial periods, this birch was distributed much further to the south; now it is found there in the swamps as a relic.

Most birches are very frost-resistant, do not suffer from spring frosts, and tolerate permafrost, penetrate far beyond the Arctic Circle or form the upper boundary of forests in the mountains (birch crooked forests in the Caucasus). Birch trees from subtropical regions are more demanding of heat (Himalayan-Chinese, some Japanese and American river birch ( Betula nigra)).

Birch is not picky about soil richness. Birch species grow on sandy and loamy, rich and poor, wet and dry soils. It is found on damp banks of rivers and seas, in swamps, swampy tundras, on dry rocky slopes, in hot dry steppes. For example, Birch Radde ( Betula raddeana) forms forests covering gorges in the mountain forest belt in the mountains of Dagestan.

Most birches are light-loving, although there are some that are quite shade-tolerant (Ribbed birch ( Betula costata), woolly birch ( Betula lanata) and yellow birch ( Betula lutea)).

Many species of birch are pioneers in settling clearings, burnt areas, wastelands and outcrops (such as the Silver Birch ( Betula pendula)): in these places, pure birch stands (secondary forests) are often observed, mainly of the grass type, so birch is often classified as a soil-improving species.

Subsequently, the composition of the forest stand changes: birch is replaced by spruce, since spruce shoots can exist under a relatively light birch canopy, and young birch trees are shaded by spruce trees and die.

In the forest-steppe, in moist places in saucer-shaped depressions, birch (often together with aspen and occasionally with willow) forms small forests, called with pegs. Pegs characteristic of the forest-steppe of Western Siberia, found on the Oka-Don Plain.

The lifespan of a birch, according to various sources, is from 120 to 150 years, some trees live up to 400 years or more.

Birch groves and forests mixed with birch are characterized by mycorrhizal species of fungi, many of which live in community exclusively or predominantly with birch.

The most famous of them are:

• Common boletus (Leccinum scabrum) and some other species of this genus - Marsh boletus ( Leccinum holopus), boletus turning pink ( Leccinum oxydabile);
• Porcini birch (Boletus betulicola) – refers to the most valuable edible mushrooms
• Some milkweeds (black milk mushrooms ( Lactarius necator), pink wave ( Lactarius torminosus)), certain types russula - green russula, yellow russula, food russula

What does birch contain?

The bark of most species contains the triterpenoid betulin, one of the few white organic pigments. In the bark of a ribbed birch ( Betula costata) its content exceeds 5%, in silver birch ( Betula pendula) the content of betulin reaches 14%, and in the bark of the Manchurian birch ( Betula mandshurica) – up to 27%. Of the species growing in Russia, the maximum content of betulin is observed in the bark of the downy birch ( Betula pubescens) – up to 44%.

The buds of silver birch (as well as downy) contain approximately 3-5% essential oil, the main components of which are bicyclic sesquiterpenoids. The kidneys also contain resinous substances, alkaloids, ascorbic acid, flavonoids and higher fatty acids.

Pharmacological properties of birch

Birch has traditionally been used for medicinal purposes: infusions of birch buds and leaves - as a diuretic, bactericidal and wound-healing agent, and oil extract from birch buds - as a dermatological agent.

From essential oil of cherry birch ( Betula lenta) (by distilling the bark and shoots with steam) methyl salicylate is obtained.

Birch tar– a traditional preservative and disinfectant.

When to collect and how to store birch raw materials

From any type of birch you can use buds and leaves as medicinal raw materials, collect birch sap, and if you’re lucky, chaga.

Birch buds are collected in winter and early spring, as soon as they become sticky. To do this, in the main fellings or during thinnings, branches are cut, tied into bunches and dried in well-ventilated areas for three to four weeks. Drying in dryers is not recommended because this will result in loss of resins and essential oils. After drying, the branches are threshed, and the buds are removed from impurities on sieves. Raw materials are packaged in bags weighing 25 and 50 kg. Store in a dry, well-ventilated area for two years.

Birch leaves are collected in May, dried in the shade and packed in boxes lined with paper. Store in dry, well-ventilated areas. Having prepared birch brooms in May (before Trinity, as is popularly accepted), you can use them all year round - just hang them up to dry somewhere in the attic with good ventilation.

As for birch sap, it is easy to collect by hanging the collection container directly on the tree and inserting a tube into the thickness of the trunk. Just watch your “catch”, otherwise the tree will bleed with tears: in the spring, the sap is collected quickly, but the hole itself does not close, it must be covered with garden varnish.

For what diseases is birch used?

Birch buds and leaves are used as a diuretic and choleretic agent. Birch buds are recommended for bedsores, irritations and skin erosions, and outside – at rheumatism, How wound healing agent, inside – for colds, illnesses and stomach cramps, for tuberculosis, gastritis, acute and chronic eczema. Birch buds contain essential oils, saponin, glucose, resin, betulorethic acid, and leaves contain anthocyanins, coumarins, flavanols, saponins, essential oil, resin, carotene, vitamin C.

Birch tar, which is obtained by distillation from birch bark, is used as wound healing agent and for the treatment of skin diseases, burns, scabies, lichens. Birch essential oil is also extracted from it, which is used as an anthelmintic. Pills activated carbon use for poisoning, bacterial toxicosis and flatulence.

Externally, birch leaves are used for baths for radiculitis, fresh leaves are applied to sore spots for rheumatism, infusion of buds or leaves is poured into wounds, for scurvy, gums are rubbed with buds, leaves are applied to tumors and injured areas; Infusion of the leaves is used to lubricate the affected areas for skin diseases, and to wash the hair in case of hair loss.

Birch bark is applied to boils. Birch bark (bark) of birch is used for bandaging for bone fractures.

Use in traditional and folk medicine (recipes)

A decoction of birch buds or their alcohol tincture (30 g of raw material per 1 liter of 70% alcohol) is drunk for diseases of the stomach, skin, kidneys and bladder. The leaves are used in the same cases in the form of tea.

Birch drops and decoctions taken orally cleanse the blood, wash salts out of the body, have a healing effect and free the intestines from worms and fecal stones.

Birch leaf steam or simply “cooling” the body with a steamed broom in a bathhouse relieves joint pain, relieves swelling and inflammation of the veins in the legs, improves well-being and relieves fatigue.

Spring birch sap has also long been used in Rus' to treat many ailments that have accumulated over the winter - from scurvy to gout.

Birch tar – excellent remedy, which helps with many skin diseases not only in animals, but also in humans.

Birch brooms, carefully hidden in the fall, will help poultry and livestock survive the winter more easily and will cure all sorts of ailments that await our pets in the spring, when the immune system is weakened.

Birch buds are irritating, so they cannot be used for acute pyelonephritis.

Young birch leaves are used in alternative medicine. They are used to make a decoction for baths for sciatica (radiculitis). For eczema, use a hot decoction of birch branches with leaves, into which you immerse your hands for 20-30 minutes, the procedure is performed 2-3 times during the day.

A decoction of the leaves is used for edema associated with cardiovascular insufficiency, kidney diseases, and it helps well with vitamin deficiencies. To prepare a decoction, 10 g of buds are poured into 200 ml of boiling water, boiled for 12-15 minutes over low heat, filtered, and the volume is adjusted to 200 ml by adding warm boiled water. Drink 1 tablespoon 3-4 times a day.

Actively used in folk medicine birch leaf infusions.

To strengthen the body and remove toxins, 8-10 g of dry crushed raw materials or 10-15 g of fresh are infused in 1 glass of boiling water in a thermos for four to five hours, then filtered and taken 1 tablespoon 4-5 times a day.

For cholelithiasis, use an infusion of 1 tablespoon of birch leaves and 1 cup of boiling water. You should drink ½ cup of the resulting product before meals 4 times a day.

An alcohol tincture of birch buds is prepared as follows: take 15 g of buds, pour in 500 g of alcohol (70%). Take the remedy 3 times a day, 20-25 drops diluted in a spoonful of water, for kidney diseases, gastric ulcers, bladder diseases, helminthic infestations. This medicine is also indicated for dropsy of renal origin.

Using alcohol tincture, you can treat bedsores, problem skin, pyodermatitis, acne, boils, and rub sore joints with rheumatism.

You can also prepare a tincture from young leaves by infusing them in a dark place in a glass container with water for a month.

A decoction of birch buds can be prepared at the rate of 10 grams of product per 200 milliliters of water; it should be boiled over low heat for 30 minutes, cooled for 10 minutes and strained through a strainer. It is recommended to use the product internally 3-4 times a day, one large spoon. The resin and essential oil contained in birch buds have not only a diuretic, but also a disinfectant and expectorant effect.

You can also make a decoction from birch leaves. To do this, 30 grams of leaves need to be dipped in 400 milliliters of water and put on low heat for 15 minutes, then you need to add a quarter teaspoon of soda. The medicine should be taken three to four times a day, half a glass. This decoction is used as a choleretic and diuretic. A decoction of the leaves is also used as a lotion for cuts and abscesses. To treat chronic and acute eczema, create a hot bath from a decoction of birch buds.

An infusion of young birch leaves is prepared as follows: approximately 50 grams of raw material are infused in 400 milliliters of boiled water cooled to 45 degrees for about 5 hours. This solution is drained, the leaves are squeezed out, water is added again and left for 6 hours. After this, the composition must be filtered and combined with the first solution. This infusion should be used 3-4 times a day, half a glass. Young leaves, or rather an infusion of them, are used as a stimulant drug, it is prescribed for disorders nervous system, jaundice, renal colic, as a vitamin and anti-inflammatory agent.

Good to know...

• Birch brooms in Russia were traditionally used for medicinal and preventive purposes in the Russian bathhouse.
• It was believed that the smell of birch cured melancholy and helped against the evil eye, and birch sap collected in special days March and April, cleanses the blood.
• IN northern latitudes Birch pollen is sometimes the allergen responsible for seasonal hay fever in people with hypersensitivity.

my students in Kuban costumes under a birch tree

BIRCH - tree of maiden round dances

If you think about what is the symbol of Russia, then one of the correct answers will be: white birch.

APPEARANCE: There is a birch-tree, there is a birch-shrub (in total, about 100 species of birch are known). We are used to seeing it as a tall tree with an openwork crown and a light trunk.

ELEMENT. Birch belongs to a greater extent to the elements.

SYMBOLICS: Planetarily, the SUN has always been identified with the birch tree. And she herself – the white-trunked beauty – is a bright symbol of Russia.

BIRCH-WELL The more often young girls danced around birches, thereby more fully “unwinding” the magical energy of these trees and invisible thread protection and strength enveloped their family and area.

CUSTOMS AND RITES: On the holiday of Kupala, in order to quickly find their betrothed, girls wove their ribbons into birch branches.

Birch has long been kind to pregnant women and fulfills their requests, so women in labor went to ask her for an easy birth, health and happiness of the expected baby.

And on Trinity festivities they “curled” the birch tree, and those curled branches were considered the best amulets.

IN OTHER PEOPLES: Russian ginseng - this is what the Chinese called birch.

FOLK BELIEFS. There is a birch tree, swaying, and under the birch there is grass-ant - it just pulls you towards you, it beckons you. They say that under a birch tree you have light dreams and prophetic dreams.

And they also say that there is a sunny birch tree on the sea-ocean, on the island, and there, on the mountain, with its branches down and its roots up.

BIRCH IN MAGIC. The ritual of “disease transmission.” The patient was washed clean water, and then they carefully poured this water under the birch tree, believing that in this way the disease would “transfer” from the person to the tree.

IN FOLK MEDICINE: Used plant segments: branches, bark, pollen, leaves, buds, inflorescences, resin.

IN THE BOX OF THE RUSSIAN LANGUAGE: Firstly, this is, of course, BERBESTA. After all, it is thanks to birch bark letters that we are now able to restore our history bit by bit.

Secondly, BIRCH JUICE is not just a drink, it is a COMMUNICATION: to Nature, to the Earth, to the Motherland.

But BIRCH PORRIDGE is something that no one would like to try, and let’s hope that this phrase will leave our language.

And of course, the image of the white birch tree has been preserved in Russian songs:

There was a birch tree in the field,

The curly one melted into the field...

LITERATURE. The forest along the banks spread far to the sides, leaving only modest birch groves and frost-covered aspen groves in the lowlands as a memory. A. Prozorov, The Spell of the Ancestors (Vedun-3)

BEREZNYAK - a small forest of birch trees

• Oddly enough, there were no forests on the way - shouldn’t we count the aspen or young birch forest as such? A. Prozorov, Riders of the Night (Prince-5)

BIRCH IN HERALDRY: On the coats of arms of Russia, the birch can be found both in the form of a lone tree and in the form of a grove (the settlement of Berezovo in the Khanty-Mansiysk Okrug), it can be a branch with leaves or catkins, or maybe simply a birch trunk (the village of Berezovka in Krasnoyarsk edges) single leaf.

On the coat of arms of Marfino (Moscow region), a birch leaf symbolizes the Timiryazev Institute of Plant Physiology.

Birch on the coats of arms of the village of Berezovo, the village of Berezovka and the Ugorsk volost of the Kaluga region

Birch is also on the coats of arms of the village of Berezovka in the Novosibirsk region, Bakhsytsky nasleg in Yakutia, Berezovsky district of the Krasnoyarsk Territory

To be fair, it should be noted that birch motifs are found not only in Russian heraldry. For example, in Vilnius County there is the village of Pabyarzhe, which means “under the birch tree.” The village has a public coat of arms containing three birch foxes with earrings

In any form, you are beautiful, birch. And let beautiful white-trunked birch forests grow on the territory of our Russia - birch groves, helping our to the Slavic people, find the strength to have FAITH, HOPE, LOVE!

Bereza - Berezovsky village council of the Novosibirsk region

The review was compiled by Svetlana and Natalia.

Birch symbolizes a unique flora, endurance (for the reason that the tree can be found in Far North), life (man has used bark, sap, wood and even leaves since ancient times).

Birch is an iconic tree, as well as national symbol among most Finno-Ugric peoples.

PLANET – Moon, Jupiter
DEITIES - Thor (Donar) and Freya (Frigg)
The Semik (now Trinity) holiday, which is celebrated in June, was dedicated to birches.
KEY WORDS – fertility, new beginnings.
MAIN PROPERTIES - cleansing, healing and protection.
In a number of traditions, birch symbolizes light, radiance, purity, obscurity, femininity, etc. In the Druidic tradition, birch is the tree of the beginning, a symbol of the first month of the year.
TREATMENT WITH FOLK REMEDIES
Almost all parts of the tree are used in healing.
It has long been believed that in May, birch has the greatest healing power. Therefore, in the period from May 1 to May 12, its juice was collected and given to the sick, sick and weak people so that they recover quickly and gain strength. To prevent the tree from becoming weak, no more than 1 liter of sap was collected from each birch, the wound was carefully covered, and the tree was thanked for its help. This tree was not touched again for a year, just as no branches were cut from the donor tree for a year. It was believed that if a birch tree is asked for help too often, it may become offended and take revenge on the person who offended her, sending him “trouble” and failure in his personal life. Usually, to collect birch sap, trees growing in the forest aged from 7 to 50 years were used, since it was believed that in addition to health, birch can give a person youth, and for this the tree itself should not be too old. In May, half-bloomed birch buds were collected for medicinal purposes.
It will ease suffering, help restore lost strength, make it easier to endure the disease, and speed up the recovery process.
Communication with birch is useful for people with upset nerves and depression. This tree relieves fatigue, neutralizes the negative effects of everyday stress, and helps restore mental harmony. The birch tree growing next to the house drives away nightmares. The impact of this tree is long lasting. It’s better not to come to it, but to live nearby, then it can heal you.
Since ancient times, tincture of birch buds has been used. This tincture, prepared with vodka, was moistened with canvas and applied to the wound. TREATMENT WITH FOLK REMEDIES and now uses tincture for rubbing in for joint pain. An alcohol infusion from birch buds has a beneficial effect in the treatment of acute and chronic forms eczema, wounds, bedsores and other inflammatory skin diseases.
Birch buds are a diaphoretic, diuretic and choleretic agent. For diseases of the kidneys and bladder, dropsy, use a water infusion or decoction in a ratio of 1:5. Kidney infusions are prepared at the rate of 2 teaspoons per glass of boiling water. Take 2-3 tablespoons 3-4 times a day. A decoction is prepared from 30 g of buds per glass of water and is also taken as an infusion.
Birch leaves are rich in vitamin C. Thus, 100 g of fresh leaves contain up to 300 mg of this vitamin. There is very little of it in dry leaves. An infusion of young birch leaves is used as a stimulant, prescribed for disorders of the nervous system, renal colic, jaundice, as an anti-inflammatory and vitamin remedy.
A water infusion, decoction and alcohol tincture of birch leaves and buds are successfully used for dropsy, edema, gastric ulcers, arteriosclerosis, rheumatism, bladder diseases, functional stomach disorders, joint damage, gout, chronic kidney diseases, and kidney stones.
Birch sap is taken for gout, edema, rheumatism, as a general tonic. Prescribed for long-term non-healing wounds, sore throat, furunculosis, atrophic ulcers. This is a pleasant refreshing drink. Birch leaf baths are effective for rheumatism and gout. For compresses, fresh or dry steamed leaves are used.
It is not by chance that they call birch medicinal plant. Oil is prepared from birch tar - an excellent anthelmintic and diuretic. It is also used as an external antiseptic - for ulcers and rashes.
Birch is a tree that stays awake all day. She falls asleep just before dawn. As the first roosters crow, having dispersed the evil spirits with their voice, the birch tree plunges into a sweet and deep sleep for 2 hours, so that, waking up at dawn, it can give the world its pure strength. Her sleep period occurs at approximately 3-5 am, and her peak alertness is at 6-9 am.
MAGIC
Birch is used to make numerous magical artifacts: ogham wands (staves), magic wands, flying brooms, magic brooms, amulets of various kinds (from lightning, evil people and spirits).
Birch branches (especially those that have just blossomed in spring) are rightly considered an excellent talisman, driving away sorrows and illnesses, protecting children from illnesses and many other troubles.
Birch roots are used to cause harm and damage.
Thin branches of weeping birch trees are used to tie “knots,” a form of charming. Runic spells are written on birch bark with ink from oak nuts and a feather from a raven's wing.
It also protects the house and household members from lightning strikes. A birch tree growing next to the house drives away nightmares. The impact of this tree is long lasting. It’s better not to come to it, but to live nearby, then it can heal you. Birch has always been credited with the ability to ward off evil spirits. A birch broom cleanses space energetically. It can be used as a powerful means of sweeping away evil spirits, negative magic and unpleasant feelings.
During the wedding ceremony, lovers jumped over a fire made of birch branches. This symbolized parting with the past and the beginning of a new life.
You can turn to the energy of birch to start new love relationship, wearing a garland of birch earrings during rituals. It is also called the tree of life. Since time immemorial, the birch tree has been associated with fertility and healing magic; birch branches have been used to impart fertility not only to the land, but also to livestock and newlyweds. Cradles for newborns were made from birch wood.