Edible tree - novice Season - present all year. Flowers: early spring. Leaves: spring to autumn Common names Silver birch, birch, warty birch, European white birch, common birch
Scientific name meaning: The genus name Betula has its origins in the Gaulish term Betu, referring to bitumen. This is believed to be because the Gauls extracted a medicinal tar from the trees. Pendula comes from the Latin Pendulus, meaning to hang down, and is a reference to the almost weeping habit of the fine twigs
Habitat  Although a woodland tree, silver birch is often found in ornamental plantings in parks and gardens. It is a native of Britain, Europe and some parts of Asia. It was introduced to North America and is considered invasive in some parts of Canada and the United States. |
Overall structure  A fast-growing but short-lived tree, with the exception of Scotland where it lives longer, silver birch can reach 30m. It is a slender tree its long, with very fine twigs that weep. |
Leaves  The leaves are triangular to diamond-shaped, double toothed and hairless. Green in spring and summer, they turn yellow in autumn and are a maximum of 7cm in length. |
Trunk  Silver birch has striking, almost white, thin papery outer (dead) bark skin that can be peeled easily. The bark has small, black, diamond-shaped flecks and as the trees ages almost black warty bark bursts through the white layer. The warty bark then becomes the most prominent. |
Flowers  Both male and female flowers can be found on silver birch. The male flowers are long, dangling yellowish catkins that appear in groups of two to four. The female catkins are much smaller, green in colour and erect. The flowers appear in spring. |
Seeds The seeds form as samaras (a seed surrounded by a papery wing) within the female catkins and look almost stacked together. When ripe, the catkin stak collapses and the seeds distributed by the wind. |
Possible lookalikes Other species of birch could be easily confused with silver birch. However, none are toxic and most have the same properties. Some poplar species like white (Populus alba) and grey poplar (Populus canescens) on first glance look similar to silver birch. However, their leaves like the sharp double toothing found on birch and their branches do not weep. |
Use as a food The young leaves of silver birch can be eaten raw or cooked but have a slightly bitter taste. A flavour enhancer can be made from dried and powdered leaves.
The sap of the silver birch can be extracted in early spring as it rises to give nourishment to the young yet-to-emerge leaves. Tapping the tree is a common method but The Foraging Course Company does not recommend this as it damages the tree. Instead, snipping of a 0.5cm thick twig and attaching a plastic bottle with tape is much less damaging and is our preferred method.
Once collected, the sap can be drank neat as a tonic or made into syrup, sugar, wine, cordial or beer.
The inner bark (cambium) can be used as a foodstuff by cooking, drying and grinding into a form of meal. It can be used to extend flour or as a thickener. It does not have the best taste though - a food for the zombie apocalypse! A tea/infusion can be made from the leaves and the inner bark Use in herbal medicine and medicine Silver birch has been used in many herbal remedies including in the treatment of skin conditions, fevers, rheumatism, gout, dropsy, kidney and bladder stones, and urinary tract infections. It has also used as a
diuretic, laxative, astringent, tonic and germicide
If you are suffering from any ailment or need medical advice, please see your General Practitioner.
Hazards The tar of silver birch (see other uses) is a skin irritant and should be avoided by people with a weak heart or kidneys, or those who suffer from oedema
Other uses Silver birch is a very useful tree. Its fragile outer (dead) bark skin makes excellent tinder while its fine twigs provide brilliant kindling. The twigs also make a good sweeping brooms, roof thatching and food whisks.
Its inner bark can be used to make drinking and eating vessels, and is even used to make furniture and canoes. The fibres are used to make cordage.
Its lightweight heartwood is good for carving and, therefore, used to make tool handles and children's toys. The wood also produces a high quality artist's charcoal.
A clothing dye with a brown colour can be made from the inner bark, which can also be heated to produce an oil and tar. This oil and tar has been used as a natural superglue for fixing arrow heads, as an ointment for horse hooves and as an early form of dental care chewing gum Importance to other species As a woodland tree, silver birch's airy canopy allows the growth of woodland plants and grasses.
It provides habitat and sustenance for over 300 species of insect, including aphids, which ladybirds feed on. Moth caterpillars, including angle shades, buff tip and Kentish glory, feed on it, while its seeds are eaten by various birds. And, silver birch has mycorrhizal relationships with many fungi, such as fly agaric, birch boletes, woolly milk caps, chanterelle and penny buns. When it dies, it is home to birch polypore, turkey tail and horse hoof fungus
Always stay safe when foraging. You need to be 100% sure of your identification, 100% sure that your foraged item is edible, and 100% sure that you are not allergic to it (it is good practice to always try a small amount of any new food you are consuming). If in doubt, leave it out!
Comments