Back to main Search Page

Betula glandulosa - Michx.

Scrub Birch

Author	Michx.	Botanical references	11, 60, 200
Family	Betulaceae	Genus	Betula
Synonyms	Betula glandulifera - (Regel.)Butler.
Known Hazards	None known
Range	North-western N. America - Newfoundland to Alaska, southwards on mountain ranges.
Habitat	Streambanks, marsh margins, lakes and bogs, also found on alpine slopes[60].
Edibility Rating	2 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	1 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

A decidious Shrub growing to 2m.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in heavy clay and nutritionally poor soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats

Woodland Garden; Dappled Shade; Ground Cover;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Flowers; Leaves.

Edible Uses: Condiment.

Young leaves and catkins - raw[172]. The buds and twigs are used as a flavouring in stews[172].

Medicinal Uses

Antirheumatic; Astringent; Lithontripic; Salve; Sedative.

The bark is antirheumatic, astringent, lithontripic, salve and sedative[172].

Other Uses

Ground cover; Hair.

The plant is valuable for ground cover[245]. An infusion of the plant is used as a hair conditioner and dandruff treatment[172].

Scented Plants

Leaves: Fresh

The branches are covered in aromatic glands, and the leaves are pleasantly fragrant when crushed.

Cultivation details

Succeeds in a well-drained loamy soil in a sheltered position[11, 200]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Shade tolerant[200]. B. glandulifera, mentioned above as a synonym of this species, might be a separate species in its own right[11, 200]. This species is native to areas with very cold winters and often does not do well in milder zones. It can be excited into premature growth in mild winters and this new growth is susceptible to frost damage[200]. The branches are covered in aromatic glands, and the leaves are pleasantly fragrant when crushed[245]. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus[50]. This species is closely related to B. nana[11]. Trees are notably susceptible to honey fungus[200].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a light position in a cold frame[78, 80, 113, 134]. Only just cover the seed and place the pot in a sunny position[78, 80, 134]. Spring sown seed should be surface sown in a sunny position in a cold frame[113, 134]. If the germination is poor, raising the temperature by covering the seed with glass can help[134]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a cold frame for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. If you have sufficient seed, it can be sown in an outdoor seedbed, either as soon as it is ripe or in the early spring - do not cover the spring sown seed. Grow the plants on in the seedbed for 2 years before planting them out into their permanent positions in the winter[78, 80, 113, 134].

Links

Permaculture.info Details of this plant in the Permaculture.info project, a community plant and permaculture database.

References

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[50] ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964
An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader.

[60] Hitchcock. C. L. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press 1955
A standard flora for Western N. America with lots of information on habitat etc. Five large volumes, it is not for the casual reader.

[78] Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.

[80] McMillan-Browse. P. Hardy Woody Plants from Seed. Grower Books 1985 ISBN 0-901361-21-6
Does not deal with many species but it is very comprehensive on those that it does cover. Not for casual reading.

[113] Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987 ISBN 0942375009
A very detailed book on propagating trees. Not for the casual reader.

[134] Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 2. Thompson and Morgan. 1988
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. An interesting article on Ensete ventricosum.

[172] Schofield. J. J. Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest. 0
A nice guide to some useful plants in that area.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

Readers Comments

Add a comment/link:

Discussion Monitor

To have posts to this page mailed to you enter your email address here:

(Your email address will not appear on the webpage or be passed on to third parties).