Birch name. Birch - a classic of summer cottages

Silver birch(lat. Betula pendula) is a species of plants of the genus Birch (Betula) of the Birch family (Betulaceae). Other Russian names for the species: birch warty(lat. Betula verrucosa), Weeping birch, hanging birch.

A beautiful tree up to 20 m tall, with an openwork, irregular crown. The main distinguishing feature of the birch is its trunk, covered with white, smooth, peeling bark - birch bark. In mature silver birch trees, the lower part of the trunk is covered with a thick blackish crust, with deep cracks, which makes it different from most white-trunked birches. The branches are mostly drooping, for which this birch has received the popular name - weeping birch. Young shoots of silver birch are warty - hence another name - warty birch.

The leaves of silver birch are petiolate, toothed, rhombic, glabrous, up to 7 cm, immediately after blooming they are resinous and sticky. In autumn, birch leaves turn yellow. Birch blossoms begin before the leaves bloom; the flowers are collected in drooping earrings. The fruit of the birch is an oblong-elliptical winged nut.

The lifespan of silver birch is 100–150 years.

Birch trees have a fairly large root system that receives moisture and nutrients from the upper layers of soil, so the vegetation under the birches is sparse. The birch root system is highly developed, but penetrates the soil shallowly, so the trees are often exposed to wind blows.

Main characteristics and useful properties:

Silver birch is a very light-loving species and tolerates city conditions well.

– Drought-resistant;

– Frost-resistant;

– Undemanding to soil conditions;

– Grows quickly;

– Birch wood is very widely used (in production, for heating, etc.);

– Brooms are knitted from birch branches for baths;

– Birch buds and leaves are used in folk and official medicine, they have a diuretic, choleretic, diaphoretic, blood purifying, bactericidal, anti-inflammatory and wound healing effect. Birch leaves secrete phytoncides that can kill pathogens within 3 hours;

– Spring birch sap is a tasty and healthy drink;

Application in landscaping:

Due to their unpretentiousness, birch trees are used in group plantings, to create alleys (but always on a strip of lawn), small forest plantations, protective stripes, for planting in squares and parks, landscaping recreation areas, etc. A single planting of birch is possible, but it should be borne in mind that they lose foliage and branches throughout the summer, so the area around them requires periodic maintenance.

Birch trees are decorative with their openwork crown, brightly colored bark, light green foliage in spring and golden yellow foliage in autumn. Silver birch looks especially good in combination with rowan trees, willows, oaks, lindens, maples, beech, bird cherry trees, and also against the background of conifers.

Best place to land:

Silver birch needs good lighting. With a lack of light, birches become frail and depressed.

Soil:

Birch is an undemanding tree, but prefers light sandy loam.

Landing:

Birch replanting is best done in early spring. Birch trees are transplanted before the age of 5–7 years, since older specimens are not well accepted. Adult birch trees are planted in winter, with a frozen lump. Autumn replanting of birch trees is not recommended, as it has a higher percentage of seedlings dying. When planting, the distance between plants is at least 3 - 4 m. The soil mixture for planting consists of leaf soil, peat and sand (2: 1: 2). It is advisable to install sand drainage (15 cm layer). Watering is required during planting and three to four days after it.

A very important mandatory rule when planting a birch tree is that under no circumstances should the root collar of the seedling be buried. If it is even slightly below the soil level, the tree will suffer for several years and then die anyway. The fact is that in this case, the mycorrhiza on the birch roots completely dies, and without symbiont fungi, birch trees cannot exist. For the same reason, birches do not tolerate pouring soil over the roots of mature trees and increasing the groundwater level.

Care:

Birch tree care is minimal. Birch roots lie shallow, so they require watering during drought.

Feeding is possible in early spring, before the leaves appear, and at the end of spring: per bucket of water - 1 kg of mullein, 10 g of urea, 15 g of ammonium nitrate. 10-20 year old plants require 30 liters of this solution, 30 or more years old - 50 liters.

The soil is loosened to a depth of 3 cm while weeding. Mulch the tree trunk circles with peat, peat compost, and wood chips in a layer of 8–12 cm.

Birch trees are not pruned to avoid damaging the crown structure; only dry branches are cut out in the spring.

Protection from diseases and pests:

Dangerous pests of birch are the May beetle and the gypsy moth.

Tubeworm beetles damage young shoots and leaves. It is recommended to collect and burn the affected leaves, and dig up the trunk circles. Caterpillars of the nun silkworm and Bucephalus corydalis eat the leaves, leaving only the veins. The caterpillars are shaken off and the plants are treated with insecticides. May beetles and their larvae eat the roots. It is recommended to dig up the soil and select larvae

Birch trees are susceptible to many fungal diseases; tinder fungi, which destroy the wood, are especially dangerous. They should be removed.

Anti-rust is sprayed with fungicides, for example copper oxychloride (0.4%).

Growth dynamics of silver birch:

The silver birch lives up to 100–150 years, continues to grow in height up to 50–60 years, and in thickness up to 80 years. During this period, the growth rate changes: in the first 5–6 years, height growth is moderate, subsequently it increases significantly and, starting from about 10 years, reaches 75–90 cm per year. The final size is about 20 m in height.

From about 20 years old, silver birch begins to bear fruit. Birch scatters seeds very early, producing many seedlings.

Partners:

The birch crown provides dense shade, and the branched root system deprives the soil of moisture, so plants growing under the birch must be shade-tolerant and tolerate dry soil.

You can plant viburnum leaf carp and its varieties, some spirea, caragana tree, white dogwood, hawthorn, Tatarian honeysuckle and mock orange next to the birch (although this will reduce the abundance of their flowering).

When planting birch trees, one should take into account its proximity as a “whipper,” especially birch trees with thin hanging branches, from which conifers especially suffer.

You can buy seedlings with delivery in Yekaterinburg by sending us a request by email [email protected] or by contacting our specialists by phone:

Silver birch, white, common, scientific Latin name, like international classification Betula pendula ( brief description in Latin Betula) is a tree, the botanical structure and characteristics are deciduous, and the fruits are called catkins, with which the plant reproduces and spreads, and the bark looks like a picture. The average height is 14 m. The age of adulthood is 15 years. Birch trees grow in many countries, and the benefits and medicinal properties buds and leaves are known all over the world. Birch sap is made for children and schoolchildren in the spring, when its content is at its highest.

Description of silver birch

Silver birch, in Latin: Betula pendula, belongs to the birch family. Pendulus, as the species name in Latin, means "pendling". This is a monoecious tree, deciduous, with a straight trunk and a sparse crown. irregular shape, drooping branches. The tree reaches a height of 25 meters, and a diameter of up to 85 cm. Birch lives up to 140 years, and can reach a height of 55 meters. This tree also has a number of other names.

Alternative names for silver birch:

• Weeping birch;
• Hanging birch;
• Warty birch.

Birch has bare shoots, reddish-brown in color, and glossy warts. Birch root is highly branched and taprooted. The root system is well developed, but does not penetrate deeply into the soil. Young trees have brown bark. She turns white from about 9 years old. What gives the bark its whiteness is betulin, a white powdery substance. Mature trees have white and smooth bark that peels off in horizontal stripes. With age, in the lower part of the trunk, it becomes deeply cracked, black-gray or black in color. Birch bark, located deeper, is a very thin plug. Birch wood is dense, yellowish-white and heavy.

Betulin gives the white color to birch bark.

Birch buds reach 7 mm in length and 3 mm in width. They are pointed, elongated-conical in shape, covered with scales closely spaced to each other. The buds are brownish-brownish in color, slightly greenish at the base, have a resinous taste, their balsamic smell intensifies when rubbed. Birch has smooth, bare, shiny petiolate leaves, with a truncated wedge-shaped base. They are dark green in color and have double-toothed edges. In autumn the leaves turn yellow, and in spring, young leaves are fragrant, resinous and sticky.

Nut-shaped birch fruits

Birch flowers are inconspicuous, small, regular and unisexual. On short pedicels, in the reddish-brown axils of the covering scales, male flowers are located. They form 3 oblong-cylindrical hanging staminate earrings, which are first brownish in color and then light yellow. A simple bifoliate or unifoliate perianth with 3-4 stamens. Without perianth with lower ovary, 5 pieces are collected on short lateral branches female flowers. They form cylindrical, short and thin, erect pistillate (female) catkins that fade from green to brownish with age. Usually the birch tree blooms at the same time, or before the leaves bloom, this is approximately April-May, and at the end of summer, beginning of autumn, the fruits ripen.

Advantages of warty birch:

• Frost-resistant;
• Grows quickly;
• Drought-resistant;
• Undemanding to soils: dry loamy, chernozem, sandy, acidic, rocky and chippy;
• Photophilous.

The birch fruit is a rather single-seeded, rather small, laterally compressed oblong-elliptical nut with 2 membranous wings. One earring contains up to 500 nuts. This type of birch tree free state, bears fruit every year after reaching the age of ten. The fruits are dispersed in winter and autumn. Birch cuttings take root poorly, but seed germination is high.

One birch catkin contains up to five hundred nut seeds.

Silver birch forms small-leaved pure forests throughout climatic zones except for the tundra. It is part of the coniferous, broad-leaved and mixed forests of Altai, the European part of Russia, Europe, the Caucasus, Western Siberia, Central and Western Asia, Africa, North America. Birch usually lives in light and dry forests, overgrown fields and pastures, on the edges, fires, clearings, and steppe. In mountainous areas it can be found at an altitude of 2000-2400 meters above sea level. Planted in gardens, parks, along roads.

Birch tree and medicinal raw materials

Birch is such a unique plant, rich in useful and healing substances, that almost the entire tree can be used for medicinal purposes. Here is a list of what can be used in birch.

Birch buds are collected at the end of winter, beginning of spring, from clearings. When dried, the buds should smell pleasant, have a bitter taste and a shiny dark brown surface. Birch sap is collected during sap flow in early spring, before the leaves bloom. Birch stumps provide good sap, the sap of which can be collected without restrictions.

Sap from birch stumps can be collected without any restrictions.

Birch leaves are collected in May. Leaves that are not completely dried can become moldy, so they need to be dried well. Birch bark is the outer layer of birch bark that is harvested from recently felled trees. The best birch bark is obtained from the middle part of the trunk. If you use dry distillation on birch wood, you can get birch charcoal.

Useful medical properties: information about birch

Birch leaves and buds contain saponins, essential oils, flavonoids, resins, tannins, glycosides, ascorbic and nicotinic acids, pyrocatechins, carotene, coumarins, alkaloids, sugars, bitterness. In addition to this, birch buds contain anthocyanins, palmitic acid, and the leaves contain vitamins PP and E. Phytoncides, which have an antibactericidal effect, are released by fresh leaves. These substances will be able to neutralize pathogenic microorganisms in 2.5 hours.

Composition of birch tar:

• Phenol;
• Guaiacol;
• Cresols;
• Dioxybenzenes.

Birch bark contains essential oil, tannins, phenolic glycosides, saponins, sesquiterpenoids, ursolic, behenic and oleanolic acids, phytosterols, fatty acids, catechins, alkaloids, betulin, suberin.

After just 2.5 hours, the phytoncides contained in fresh birch leaves can kill microorganisms that cause diseases.

Birch sap contains glutamic and malic acids, glycine, sugars (glucose, fructose), protein, iron compounds, potassium, magnesium, calcium, vitamin C, group of B vitamins, essential oils, saponins, tannins and aromatic substances.

Young birch: use in medicine and more

Birch finds wide application not only for medical purposes. There are also a number of areas where birch and its derivatives are happily used, for example, as a landscaping park tree.

Areas of application of birch and its derivatives:

• Medicine;
• Cooking;
• Construction;
• Military affairs;
• Decorative business;
• Souvenir products.

Birch sap and birch sapwood are used for food, and buds and leaves are used to make side dishes, salads, tea and soups. Wood, branches and bark are used as ornamental and building materials.

Birch charcoal is used in the production of gunpowder, and tar is used in perfumery and medicine.

In medicine, preparations from the buds and leaves manifest themselves as diaphoretic, diuretic, bactericidal, choleretic, antifungal, anticonvulsant, expectorant, tonic, antiseptic, for rheumatism, arthritis and gout, for diseases respiratory organs(bronchitis, tracheitis), wound healing for abscesses and cuts, antipyretic.

Medical benefits: silver birch (video)

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Who among Russians does not know the beautiful white-trunked birch, a symbol of our Russia! Songs and poems are dedicated to her, she is depicted on the canvases of famous artists and in the musical works of many composers. Slender, with thin long branches and a spreading crown, it is attractive at all times of the year. It holds first place among other deciduous tree species in terms of prevalence in Russia. The word “birch” is not only the same in all Slavic languages, but also in many Indo-European languages, it goes back to the concept of “white” - from the color of the bark of a tree.

The white and black patterned trunks of birch trees are particularly attractive. The white color of the bark is explained by the fact that the birch bark cells contain a special coloring substance - betulin. If you carelessly touch the trunk of a young birch tree while wearing a black jacket or coat, white spots will appear on your clothes, like chalk. Birch bark is a protective cover of a tree. It protects the living tissues of the trunk from drying out. It is impermeable to water and gases. But it has peculiar vents - rather large dark lines that run across the trunk. These are the so-called lentils. Through them into the trunk in small quantities oxygen necessary for breathing is supplied. Lentils consist of loose tissue, between the cells of which there are spaces - intercellular spaces. Air passes through them. For the winter, the lentils are walled up - the spaces between the cells are filled with a special substance. But in the spring they open again. When you tear off a piece of birch bark, you see that it is layered. A single layer, slightly thicker than a sheet of paper, is tightly connected to its neighbors. Birch bark resembles a book with many stuck together pages. When soaked, it easily separates into many translucent white and pink films, becomes flexible and durable, and is not afraid of dampness.

All over the world, 140 species of birch have been found and described. More than half of them grow in our country. Birch is a genus of birch trees and shrubs, which also includes alder, hornbeam and hazel. When talking about birch, we will have in mind two related types of birch: downy and warty. They make up almost two-thirds of our deciduous and mixed forests.

Birch is unpretentious. It can grow on almost any soil - on very dry and poor sand, lowland marshes where there is excess moisture and a lot of nutrients.

Trees are the most important component of the forest plant community. They greatly affect all small plants under their canopies. But the trees themselves interact with each other and have a strong influence on each other. Birch is called a pioneer tree. It is the first of the tree species to invade any free piece of land - abandoned arable land, exposed slopes near roads and fires. 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 - the eaves of old stone houses, old brick walls.

Birch is light-loving and cannot withstand darkening. Therefore, usually in the forest it is sooner or later replaced by other trees, especially spruce. This coniferous tree often settles under the canopy of a birch forest. Sometimes there are so many spruce trees in a birch forest that it forms impenetrable thickets. Time passes, young fir trees grow up and displace the birch tree, which once gave them shelter under its canopy. It is for this reason that the birch forest is more or less soon replaced by coniferous forest. Old spruce trees in the forest will gradually die off, and young ones will take their place. Birch will not be able to penetrate here. But then I came to spruce forest lumberjack man Several hours of work - only stumps remained from the spruce forest.

Here the birch takes revenge: young birch trees quickly appear in the clearing. But soon young fir trees settle under the canopy of birch trees, and everything repeats all over again.

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 flowers appear on the steps of the porch and on the roofs of houses located near birch trees. yellow spots and divorces.

Women's earrings are much smaller than men's, greenish, inconspicuous, no thicker than a matchstick (Appendix 3). They contain many tiny female flowers, consisting of only one pistil. After flowering, these earrings grow greatly, turning into small green cylinders. At the end of summer, the overgrown catkins become brown and begin to crumble into separate parts - small three-lobed scales and tiny membranous fruits. Birch fruits are so small that they are barely visible to the naked eye. In the center of the fruit 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. The tiny fruits of birch are often called seeds, but from a botanical point of view they are fruits: each of them is formed from the pistil of an extremely small birch flower.

People often call birch a “miracle seeder.” In autumn, countless squadrons of two-winged seed-planes fly. About 5,000 of these seeds can be counted in just one gram, and on a hectare of birch, “from 35 to 150 kilograms of them are sown. Birch is very prolific; a hectare of birch forest yields up to 90 million. seeds Seeds that fall from a tree are able to germinate immediately if conditions are favorable for this. But if there are no conditions for this, for example, on the surface of dry soil, then, of course, germination will not occur. However, they do not die, but go into a dormant state. Their ability to germinate remains for several years. All this time they can quietly lie in a “preserved” state. As soon as the conditions arise, the birch immediately sprouts. ,

In addition to seeds, birch can reproduce by shoots from a stump, like many other deciduous trees. The presence of several trunks growing as if from one root is proof that birch plantations are of coppice origin.

In the eastern part of the Main Caucasus Range, usually at the border of the forest belt, a beautiful small tree with pinkish-white bark is found. Named after the botanist Radde. Birch Radde - very rare species, common only in the Caucasus. This is a small tree with pinkish-white bark; in older trees the bark comes off in rags. The branches are young, bare, dark brown. The leaves are ovate, with a wedge-shaped or rounded base, pointed, unequally toothed along the edge. The inflorescence, like all birches, has catkins (staminate) 2-3 together, female (pistillate) - solitary. Fruit - little nut, up to 3 mm in length, with a wide wing equal to the fruit. The Radde birch rises into the mountains up to 1700-2000m, sometimes forming pure birch communities or adjacent to other trees. Sometimes rhododendrols can be found in the undergrowth of such birch forests. The number of this species is declining due to logging and grazing by livestock. Radde birch is cultivated in several botanical gardens.

In Karelia, Belarus, Latvia, as well as in the Scandinavian countries, there are birch trees that have dense, strong thickenings in the lower part of the trunk. Even an ax bounces off them! This kind of birch is called Karelian. Many people have heard about its patterned wood, which resembles marble, but not everyone has had the chance to see the tree.

The famous birch tree looks very modest. Having met her for the first time in a forest or park, few people will fall in love with her. It’s gnarled, with cracked bark, the trunk is covered in bumps and tumors, and it’s not as tall as its peers. But let’s imagine its wood: an exquisite pattern against the background of a delicate range of yellow tones, waviness, shine. And knowing about the wealth that is hidden behind the unprepossessing appearance, we judge the beauty of the tree differently. A variety of crafts made from this wood have always been highly valued.

Scientists have devoted many years different countries studying the mysterious Karelian birch. We described the biological features of its development, carried out a detailed anatomical analysis of patterned wood, and gained experience in its artificial breeding. However, the origin of this birch, the reasons and mechanism for the formation of a peculiar pattern in its wood, still remains a mystery to us. It never forms pure stands, but grows among other deciduous trees in combination with ordinary birch trees. Prefers rocky soils. Karelian birch is very sensitive to light. It has been established, for example: the more intense the lighting of a plant, the brighter the patterned feature appears. The trunks of Karelian birch sometimes bend incredibly steeply to provide access sunlight. However, no matter what unusual forms the Karelian birch takes, its wood retains its characteristic pattern. Karelian birch is now very rare, it is not without reason that it is called the pearl of the northern forests.

Radde birch and Karelian birch are listed in the Red Book of Russia.

3. Tree about four things.

In the old days, people sang about the birch as about a tree “about four things”:

The first thing is to illuminate the world,

The second thing is to quiet the cry,

The third thing is to heal the sick,

The fourth thing is to maintain cleanliness.

Consider the birch tree in these four directions.

1. The first thing is to illuminate the world.

It is difficult to imagine the life of our ancestors without birch. Their source of light was a birch sliver, which illuminated their homes for many centuries. Birch firewood is hot, it gives a lot of heat, in this regard it is probably second only to oak firewood. Birch produces excellent charcoal. Birch bark is a good way to light stoves and fires when paper or kerosene is not available. With the help of birch bark you can light a fire even during rain.

2. The second thing is to quiet the cry.

Spring has many signs. One of them is the appearance of birch sap. The ability to cry crystal tears in spring - main feature birch trees As soon as you slightly damage the bark of the tree, a cold drop will come out of it, followed by another, a third - a transparent stream will run along the birch. Not only people, but also birds and animals drink birch sap with pleasure.

The woodpecker breaks through the thin white bark with its sharp beak and feasts on the life-giving moisture. A woodpecker is flying - tits, finches, and robins will flock to the birch tree. Sweet birch tears are loved by bears, capercaillie, ants, lemongrass and urticaria butterflies and other forest creatures.

3. The third thing is to heal the sick.

Birch sap - not only delicious drink. This is still remedy, used for a long time in folk medicine. The composition of the "elixir of health" includes fruit sugar, malic acid, proteins, vitamin C, sodium salts, calcium, iron, copper and other compounds beneficial to humans. The juice is considered useful for the treatment of skin diseases (eczema, lichen, rashes, furunculosis), and also as a general tonic. During the Great Patriotic War For children and the wounded, syrups for jelly and compotes were prepared from this juice. In 1941 alone, Russian birch trees yielded more than 4.5 thousand tons of healing sap. In cosmetics, birch sap is used to remove oily skin and remove age spots. It is recommended to wipe the face and neck with it in the morning and evening to improve skin tone. Nowadays, we have returned to the good old craft again. The juice is now used in medicine, used in the food industry, perfumery, agriculture, animal husbandry and beekeeping.

Birch leaves contain resinous, tannin, mineral salts, organic acids, vitamin C, carotenes, betulorethic acid, essential oil, and phytoncides. Saponins, flavonoids, and increased zinc content were also found in the leaves and buds. Used in the treatment of spring exacerbations chronic diseases in persons with edema due to cardiovascular and renal failure. The buds have a similar composition but contain more resins. They have diuretic, antirheumatic, diaphoretic and mild choleretic effects.

For cosmetic purposes, dried leaf buds are often used, which are harvested in early spring, when they are swollen but have not yet blossomed, leaves, birch sap, and birch tar. Modern cosmetics recommend using decoctions or alcohol tinctures of the kidneys to stop inflammatory processes, itching or irritation of the facial skin, improve skin tone and against acne. In folk medicine, a decoction of birch buds is used to treat skin diseases: acute and chronic eczema, dermatitis. Dried birch buds are used in perfumery to make lipsticks. Wash your hair with a decoction of the leaves for better hair growth. The leaves are harvested in May and air dried.

Birch bark is used to remove tar. Birch tar, which has disinfecting properties, is very valuable (Appendix No. 3). It is part of ointments, pastes used to treat skin diseases, burns, in particular, it is integral part Vishnevsky and Wilkinson ointments, used to treat scabies, scaly lichen and other diseases. Preparations with birch tar are used against acne and oily seborrhea of ​​the scalp. A mixture of tar (5-1 O g), castor oil (10-20 g) and ethyl alcohol (100 ml) is rubbed into the scalp for seborrhea, itching and dandruff 3-5 hours before washing your hair.

4. The fourth thing is to maintain cleanliness.

History reveals the most interesting details to us. It turns out that in the treaty between Rus' and Byzantium (907), the Russians secured the right to use the bathhouse upon arrival in Constantinople: “And let them do as much as they want.”

In the old days, when the steam room began to work, the bathhouse attendant walked around the faces of Moscow and beckoned to the people: “To the bathhouse! To the bathhouse! The Russian people, notes the historian N.I. Kostomarov, have a bathhouse as an urgent need not only for maintaining cleanliness, not only the main cure for all ailments, but also a kind of pleasure. A real Russian bathhouse is inconceivable without a birch broom. It needs to be steamed correctly. It is known that flapping with a broom on a hot shelf is a kind of massage. After all, birch leaves contain substances that are beneficial for the skin. Since ancient times, in Rus' they have not poured out the water remaining after steaming a broom. They washed their hair with this water. It is known that birch infusion refreshes hair. A birch broom gives vivacity and freshness to the body.

As a result of studying the literature about birch, I came to the following conclusions:

1. Birch brings great benefits to people, but there are rules for using the forest.

2. The products of this tree are widely used in cosmetology, medicine and other areas of the national economy.

4. Protection of birches in spring.

In spring, when birch trees cry, friends of nature can help them.

If the wound on the trunk is fresh, then using viscous clay and a damp cloth you should immediately apply a bandage to the sore spot. If the process of rotting has begun and the cut area has darkened, first of all it must be cleaned with a knife to healthy light wood and only then a bandage must be applied. It’s even better to cover the wound on the tree trunk with a special garden varnish, which is sold in the store.

By releasing sap, birch trees lose nutrients and water, and this affects their condition. Such trees grow more slowly, their branches are shorter, and their leaves are smaller. This means that the entire green surface where the process of photosynthesis takes place is smaller.

Seeds from trees weakened by tapping have less germination.

Regular taking of sap leads to complete depletion and death of the birch tree.

Therefore, employees of state forestries who collect sap follow special rules: firstly, it is strictly forbidden for anyone to take sap from trees growing in parks and squares, field and water conservation forests, green zones of cities, along railway and highways; secondly, choose trees that will soon be felled, and then no earlier than five years before. Young birch trees should not be touched.

Farms collect sap from several birch trees at once, almost without damaging them. In this case, special devices are used. Unauthorized extraction of sap without any rules is very harmful to trees. Poachers, in pursuit of profit, mercilessly mutilate white trunks. It takes a long time for the sapling canals to heal, the wood rots and deteriorates in these places, and the wounds inflicted on the tree with an ax do not heal at all. Such a pest will cut down chips the size of your palm, collect a bucket of juice and leave, abandoning it after all. And for a long time the useless stream will continue to flow, saturating the forest moss with healing moisture. But it was possible not to destroy the tree.

In those places where collecting juice is allowed, they do this: carefully use a hammer or drill to drill a hole five centimeters deep at a distance of 30-35 centimeters from the ground, where they insert a tube of a suitable diameter, and in a few hours they get two to three liters of juice. After this, the hole in the trunk is carefully sealed with moss, plasticine or wood cork. For the poacher - the chopper (he will still have to return to the tree for his dishes), you need to leave a note - a leaflet in which to inform him that he has committed a gross violation of forest management rules and may be punished for this.

Conclusion: there are many birch trees in our forests, but we should remember that this wealth is not endless, it must be used carefully.

5. Conclusion.

At the beginning of my work, I set goals that helped me understand that birch is of great economic importance and benefits people. Its wood is used to make plywood, axles, runners, tool handles, reels, furniture, and acetic acid and wood alcohol are obtained from it. Yellow and green fabric dyes are obtained from the leaves. Birch bark is used to distill tar, and birch bark, the outer white bark, is used to make baskets, bags and other household items (Appendix No. 4).

Having studied the literature, we can say with confidence that birch plays a significant role in ecology. Often called birch forests green ocean and quite rightly so. Scientists have calculated that one hectare of forest purifies 18 million cubic meters of air during the year: and absorbs as much carbon dioxide in an hour as two hundred people exhale during this time. The leaf surface retains dust and emissions from industrial enterprises and purifies the air.

Based on this information about birch, taking into account personal observations, we can say with confidence that birch trees require protection in the spring.

Or fluffy- deciduous tree up to 20 m tall and up to 60 cm in trunk diameter. Leaves are simple, entire, (4-8) x (3-6) cm.
Naturally grows over a vast area of ​​Eurasia.
In Novosibirsk: a tree at 10 years old is 2.0-4.0 m tall, at 15 years old - 5.5-7.5 m, at 20 years old - 7.5-10.5 m, at 27 years old - 13.0 m. Fruits in the second half of August.
It is very rare in urban plantings. Fruits abundantly everywhere. Seeds fall out in autumn and in the first half of winter.
Winter hardiness 1. A fast growing tree that requires moister and richer soils than those commonly found in the city. silver birch, or warty. Not drought-resistant, gas-resistant, relatively light-loving. Tolerates excess soil moisture well.
It propagates only by seeds, which are best sown in the fall under the snow. During spring sifting, preliminary cold stratification for 1-2 months is desirable.
Very decorative due to the pure white color of the bark, especially in at a young age. Durability in urban conditions is 100-150 years. In 1995 I.Yu. Koropachinsky brought a form with purple leaves from Finland, which began to successfully reproduce in the arboretum of the Central Forest. In the conditions of Novosibirsk it is characterized by high stability and rapid growth, which allows us to talk about the need for its wider reproduction and implementation in the city’s landscaping.
Recommended for wide use when creating large areas, landscape groups and alley plantings.

(Betula papyrifera)
Height: up to 24 m
Type: deciduous tree shedding leaves for the winter
Area: northern US (including Alaska) and Canada
Places of growth: temperate deciduous and coniferous forests, swamp edges, river valleys
- one of the most northern species American birch trees - became famous for their beautiful white bark (birch bark), from which North American Indians built canoes, roofs for their homes, and even dishes. In winter, the branches of this tree serve as the main food for moose.
The bark of birch trees is formed in layers. In old birch trees it sometimes cracks and peels off in thin strips. Birch bark contains a water-repellent substance, suberin, which makes it waterproof.

, or black- deciduous tree 12-25 m tall. Leaves are simple, entire, (3-9) x (1-6) cm. Grows naturally in Eastern Siberia, in the Far East, in foreign Asia.
In Novosibirsk (CSBS): a tree at 15 years old is 2.7 (3.1) m tall, at 23 years old - 10.5 m, at 35 years old - 14 m. Winter hardiness 1. Prefers relatively moist rich soils, not drought-resistant. Photophilous. Gas-resistant.
It is especially decorative due to the original coloring of the bark. On young stems, the color of the bark ranges from yellowish-brown to reddish; with age, the bark on the trunks becomes dark gray, black-brown, sometimes almost black, severely cracks and peels off.
It is propagated by seeds, which should be collected in late summer - early autumn, when the catkins acquire a yellow-brown color and crumble when bent. It is possible to use all sowing periods: summer, autumn, winter and spring. When sowing in spring, it is recommended to carry out stratification in a mixture with wet sand at a temperature of 1-5 ° C for 1-1.5 months.
Durability 80-100 years.
Recommended for widespread use in single and group plantings and alleys.
Flaw: like other types of birch, due to the large amount of pollen it can cause polynoses during the flowering period.

, or Erman- a tree up to 20 m tall in natural conditions, with a curved trunk, sometimes a shrub. In Novosibirsk (TsSBS) at the age of about 20 years it retains straight trunks, which is not typical for this species. The bark of the trunks is dark gray, yellowish-brown, flaking. The leaves are simple, entire, (3-10) x (2-6) cm, from elliptic to ovate, glabrous above, dark green, often pubescent below. The branches are brown or reddish-brown, covered with lentils.
Natural range: Kamchatka, Eastern Siberia east of Lake Baikal. It grows high in the mountains, often forming the upper border of forests.
Winter hardiness 1. Growth is slow. Not drought-resistant, light-loving. Can grow on relatively poor rocky soils. Fruits in open, illuminated places from 7-8 years. The seeds ripen in the second half of August and fall out during the autumn and first half of winter.
It can only be propagated by seeds, which should preferably be sown in the fall under the snow. When sowing in spring, preliminary cold stratification is required for 2-3 months.
Can be recommended for creating small landscape groups on lawns. It is of particular interest when landscaping steep slopes with rocky soils. Can be used as a decorative low tree with an unusual crown shape and bark color.

In the territory of Eastern Siberia it is isolated as an independent species Betula lanata, differing from stone birch only in the dense pubescence of young shoots and leaves. Its biological characteristics and recommendations for propagation and use in landscaping are the same.

- deciduous shrub 1-4 m tall or low tree. Leaves are simple, entire, (1.0-5.0) x (0.8-3.5) cm, ovate to elliptical. Grows in Eurasia.
In Novosibirsk: shrub at 10 years old 2.5-3.0 m tall, at 15-20 years old - 3.2-4.1 m. Vegetation from May 10-15 to the end of August. The leaves fall in the second half of September. It blooms from the second decade of May for 5-8 days. It bears fruit from the second half of August at the age of 5, regularly and abundantly. The leaves are yellow-brown in autumn. Winter hardiness 1. Prefers drained, moist habitats. Grows best in carbonate soils. Photophilous, drought-resistant. Durability is about 20 years.
Recommended for single and group plantings, when creating alpine slides (especially low-growing small-leaved forms).
Leaves are sometimes damaged by insect pests. It propagates only by seeds that must be pre-stratified, although they are capable of germinating without stratification, but this reduces their germination capacity and germination energy.
It can be recommended for creating group plantings in moist, relatively rich soils, in well-lit places, especially along the banks of reservoirs.

- deciduous tree 4-18 m tall. The leaves are simple, entire, often dark green (1.5-5.5) x (0.8-4.5) cm, rhombic to obovate.
Naturally grows in Tuva, Mongolia, Central Asia, and South-Eastern Altai.
Fruits from 6-9 years of age. Winter hardiness 1. Drought-resistant, heat-resistant, undemanding to soils. Photophilous. Gas-resistant. It is especially decorative with small foliage, turning yellow in autumn, and yellow-gray, beige, sometimes almost white, peeling bark of the trunks. Durability is about 40 years. Recommended for wide use in single and group plantings, alleys, and massifs.
Disadvantages: leaves are sometimes damaged by insect pests and fungal diseases; By the age of 30, dryness accumulates inside the crowns and the decorative effect decreases somewhat.
Propagated only by seeds, which, when sowing in spring, it is advisable to stratify for 1.5-2 months at a temperature of 3-5 °C.

7

Birch warty, or drooping (Betula pendula)- deciduous tree up to 25 m tall. Leaves are simple, entire, (3-8) x (2-6) cm, triangular-ovate to obovate.
Distributed throughout the European part of Russia and beyond the Urals to the Ob River. One of the most popular birches, without which landscaping in Russia is indispensable. In Novosibirsk: a tree at 10 years old is 3-4 m tall, at 21 years old - 9-10 m, at 50 years old - 16 m. It bears fruit from 5-6 years old. Winter hardiness 1.
Undemanding to soil richness and moisture, drought-resistant. Photophilous. Gas-resistant.
Particularly decorative due to its white bark and autumn yellow color of the leaves. Durability 150-250 years. Recommended for widespread use in landscaping and protective afforestation.
Propagated only by seeds, which during spring sowing must be stratified for 1.5-2 months at low temperatures(2-5 °C).
The buds are conical in shape, bare (without pubescence), covered with imbricated, tightly pressed along the edges, slightly ciliated scales 3-7 mm long, 1.5-3 mm in diameter. The color of the buds is brown, brown, sometimes greenish at the base; balsamic smell, intensifying when rubbed; the taste is slightly astringent, resinous.
Birch buds contain up to 5% essential oil, flavonoids, vitamins, and tannins.
In folk medicine, buds and leaves were widely used to regulate the activity of the gastrointestinal tract, for diseases of the liver and bladder, rheumatism, and gout. Birch tar, obtained from the bark, was used for rheumatism, liver diseases, in veterinary medicine - for the treatment of wounds and purulent diseases, for colic, as an anthelmintic. Birch sap is known as a general tonic and stimulant; it is used to make kvass, syrup, and vinegar.
Currently, birch buds are used in the form of decoctions as a disinfectant, diuretic, and choleretic agent, due to the content of flavonoids and essential oils. Practical significance It also contains birch tar, which is included in ointments used to treat wounds and skin diseases. Activated birch charcoal is used in tablet form as an adsorbent for poisoning, food intoxication, and flatulence.

(Betula maximowicziana)
The main part of the range of the Maksimovich birch is located in Japan (the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido). In Russia it is found only on the Kuril Islands.
A tree up to 30 meters high with bark of an unusual color for birch: gray or orange-gray, more reminiscent of alder bark. On young branches the bark is cherry-brown. The trunk of old trees can reach 1.2 meters in diameter.
The buds are bare, sticky, ovoid. The leaves are ovate-rounded, shortly pointed, with a deeply heart-shaped base, very large (leaf length up to 14 cm, width up to 10 cm), on a bare petiole 3-3.5 cm long.
Fruiting catkins are drooping, cylindrical, 5-7 cm long, 9-12 mm in diameter, arranged in clusters of 3-4 pieces. The bracts are rhombic in outline, three-lobed with three noticeable veins; The blades are rounded at the ends, the middle one is longer than the lateral ones, directed upward.
The fruits are almost diamond-shaped red-brown nuts 2-3 mm long with wings 3-4 times wider than the nut. Weight of 1000 seeds is 0.2 g.
Introduced into culture in Russia with late XIX centuries. Thanks to the unusual color of the bark and large leaves, Birch Maksimovich is decorative look and deserves an introduction to community gardening in the south Far East Russia.
The wood of this birch is heavy, without a clear separation of heartwood and sapwood. In Japan it is used to build houses, and is also exported to Europe and America under the name “red birch”.

Birch useful 2

Birch is useful, or Himalayan (Betula utilis)
The whitest of birches does not grow in Europe, not in Siberia, or even in America. In the skies of the Eastern Himalayas, next to the glaciers of the highest peaks of the planet, above the border of rhododendron thickets and coniferous forests Birch trees grow with such white trunks that without leaves they look like the wind-worn bones of giants. This birch is useful, and it fully justifies its name: at an altitude of more than 4500 m above sea level, there are practically no other large trees, and it is this single species that provides Nepalese and Bhutanese mountain residents with fuel and building material.
The Himalayan birch is strikingly beautiful with its huge leaves - they reach the size of a human palm, and in the fall they turn bright yellow and stay on the branches for quite a long time. Unfortunately, this birch is rare on sale, with the possible exception of the “Doorenbos” variety, obtained in the Dutch nursery of the same name. Unlike the natural species, which is characterized by a generally straight trunk, "Doorenbos" is more like a Karelian birch - in its adult state it is not a single-trunked tree, but a huge bush. The useful birch grows surprisingly quickly (the growth of a five- to six-year-old plant can reach one and a half meters per year and is completely winter-hardy at the latitude of Moscow, which, of course, makes its spread in gardens very desirable.

- This is the pride and symbol of the Slavs. It is often called the tree of life.

Birch it is not without reason that it is considered sacred tree, a spiritual symbol. Since ancient times, she has been taking care of people. Leaves - for health, branches - for brooms, bark for writing, crafts, tar and fire, wood for warmth.

Birch in Rus' has always been associated with a young maiden with her purity, whiteness, and sophistication. Branches Birches bending over the traveler, as if female hands to embrace him in your tender embrace.

Birch name

The Russian word Birch comes from Praslav. berza, from the root *bhereĝ- “to glow, turn white.”

Where does Birch grow?

Birch widespread throughout Russia and Northern Hemisphere in general, even beyond the Arctic Circle. Birch is undemanding and tolerates both heat and cold.

Dwarf Birch grows 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 only in swamps as a relic.

What does Birch look like?

Birch is probably familiar to everyone. But let’s write a few words anyway.

Birch- a tall light tree with a spreading crown. It is always light in the Birch Forest, and not only because of the white trunks. Birch leaves are not large and the crown lets in a lot of light.

Birch height usually 15-30m. However, Birch's life is not long. Actually, 1st century. Birch usually lives about 100 years.

Birch bark in most species it is white. The outer part of the bark - birch bark - usually peels off easily in ribbons. In old Birch trees, the lower part of the trunk is covered with a dark crust with deep cracks.

Birch leaves are small, jagged, pointed at the end, and sticky in spring.

Birch Flowers- earrings. Birch's earrings are not all the same: some are for men, some are for women.

Men's earrings on Bereza appear in the summer. At first they are standing and green, then gradually turn brown. The outside of the entire earring is covered with a resinous substance impenetrable to moisture. In this form, the earrings overwinter.

In the spring, in March - May, 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.

Women's birch catkins They always sit on the side of the branch. During flowering, they are always shorter and narrower than male ones, which immediately fall off after pollination.

When to collect birch leaves?

Birch leaves It should be collected in mid-May, as soon as the leaves are no longer sticky.

Harvesting Birch leaves in May - June - birch leaves should be fragrant and sticky, young, and not coarse. To dry, birch leaves are placed on wide paper sheets in a dark, cool place with good ventilation.

Medicinal properties of Birch

Basic medicinal properties of Birch: antimicrobial, wound healing, good anti-inflammatory properties, absorption ability - this is not a complete list of the wonderful properties of these leaves.

Diuretic, and most importantly choleretic properties are often used by herbalists in a wide variety of preparations.

Birch leaves have a rich composition - essential oils, phytoncides, vitamin C, carotene, plant glycosides, tannins, nicotinic acid and other elements. A decoction of birch leaves is used as a disinfectant and antiseptic, a diuretic and choleretic drug.

Infusion made from birch leaves is more saturated, so it is used for local treatment. Alcohol and essential substances that contain birch leaves have antimycotic and antiviral effects. Tannins, which birch leaves are rich in, have bactericidal and anti-inflammatory properties. Phytoncides and flavonoids are antioxidants that absorb free radicals, so Birch leaves can rejuvenate cells and tissues and restore them.

Infusion from 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.

Birch buds are diaphoretic, diuretic and choleretic. 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.

Made from birch leaves vitamin drink: young leaves are crushed and poured with hot boiled water, left for 4 hours.

Birch sap. Birch sap is not only tasty but also healthy, has a good general strengthening effect, its ability to dissolve stones has been revealed, so the sap is used in complex therapy for urolithiasis.

The usefulness of birch sap is determined by its chemical composition, the presence of many valuable substances, in particular glucose and fructose, which are well absorbed by the body, nicotinic, glutamic, aminoacetic acids.

Birch broom in the bath it promotes the healing of wounds, abrasions, cleanses the skin of rashes and acne. Helps well after physical activity, relieves pain and tension in muscles. And its main advantage is that it helps improve ventilation in the lungs.

It is believed that Birch smell cures melancholy and helps against the evil eye, and birch sap, collected on special days in March and April, cleanses the blood.

Birch bark- one of the best means for starting a fire in any weather.

Sometimes on Bereza you can see growths - cap- when cut, they have a peculiar complex and beautiful pattern. Processed burl has long been used to make elegant crafts: boxes, snuff boxes, and decorative furniture parts.

Birch is also characterized by specific types of mushrooms- destroyers of dead wood (saprotrophic), which play a vital role in the process of self-cleaning of forests from dead wood and windbreaks.

Why is Birch white? The cavities of birch bark cells are filled with a white resinous substance - betulin, which gives birch bark its white color.

In beekeeping, Birch is important as a pollen carrier. After all, bees collect not only nectar, but also pollen - the main source squirrel and vitamins.

People living near a birch grove are much less likely to suffer from colds, since the volatile phytoncides released by the tree suppress the growth and development of bacteria.