Betula pendula 'Silver Birch'

[Ex. Co. Durham, England]

Betulaceae: medium-sized deciduous tree, typically reaching 15 to 25 m (49 to 82 ft) tall, the bark on the trunk and branches is golden-brown at first but later turns white as papery tissue develops on the surface which peels off in flakes. The male catkins develop at the tips of the branches in the autumn, while the female catkins that develop soon after the leaves unfurl in the spring. The foliage is a pale to medium green and turns yellow early in the autumn before the leaves fall.

USES:

The Inner bark can be cooked or dried and ground into a meal, which can be added as a thickener to soups etc., or can be mixed with flour for making bread, biscuits etc. The trees Sap is also used raw or cooked, and as a sweet flavour, it is harvested in early spring, before the leaves unfurl, by tapping the trunk, it makes a very pleasant drink. The sap can be fermented into a beer.

Medicinal uses include: Anti-inflammatory, cholagogue, diaphoretic, and the bark is diuretic and laxative, the oil obtained from the inner bark is astringent and is used in the treatment of various skin afflictions, especially eczema and psoriasis. The bark is usually obtained from trees that have been felled for timber and can be distilled at any time of the year. The inner bark is bitter and astringent, it is used in treating intermittent fevers.

GROWING INFORMATION:

Only just cover the seed and place the pot in a sunny position, spring sown seed should be surface sown in a sunny position in a cold frame, if the germination is poor, raising the temperature by covering the seed with glass can help.

HARVESTED: 2019

 

APPROX. 200+ SEEDS