Hanging birch is a tree of the Birch family, which is also called weeping and warty. It is widespread in the Caucasus, in the European part of Russia, in Altai and in Western Siberia, right up to the tundra. In the east, it grows to Lake Baikal. In Europe, this tree is also common, with the exception of the Iberian Peninsula. It can be found in the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia.
The hanging birch can reach 30 meters in height and have a diameter of up to 80 centimeters. Young trees have a brown bark, but after 10 years, as a rule, it begins to turn white. Young branches are usually warty (hence the name of the species), after a year of growth they become reddish-brown. In central Russia, the dangling birch reaches 20 meters in height. Its leaves have a rhombic or triangular-ovoid shape, they are sticky and smell very nice.
Hanging birch blooms before the leaves bloom. Both male and female flowers are earrings, only male flowers consist of three or two pairs, and female flowers consist of one. Fruits birch small single seed nuts. Flowering occurs in April - May, and the fruits ripen in August - September. Typically, birch begins to bear fruit in the tenth year when growing in nature in a free state, and in the planting - only after 20 - 25 years. Every year, hanging birch bears fruit, dispersing its nuts in autumn and winter.
These trees are very photophilous and they themselves seem to spread light with their white trunks. Those who have ever visited a birch grove will never forget the feeling of lightness and light that reigns among the trees. Unfortunately, birches do not live long, the limit of life expectancy is 120 years. Only individual specimens have lived for more than 130 years, but this is basically an exception.
The birch tree is a symbol of Russia. Hundreds of songs are dedicated to him, the origin of which goes back to the distant past. It is unlikely that there will be such a tree on earth that would be used 100%. Furniture, paper, methyl alcohol, turpentine, acetic acid are made from birch wood, tar is obtained from bark. The branches go to the hills (brooms), the branches with leaves are prepared for baths (foreigners do not understand how to torture their bodies with the help of a birch broom, but you and I are good at it).
Birch buds are a wonderful medicine in the treatment of a number of diseases, and the juice of this tree is a storehouse of natural vitamins, a tasty and healthy drink that the plant generously shares with people. For a long time, our ancestors made all kinds of toys and crafts from birch, which children played with pleasure. When burning, a birch tree gives off a lot of heat, so it used to be used for heating. Today, there are other sources of heat supply, but even now houses are often heated in villages with the help of firewood harvested from a white-barrel beauty.
Since ancient times, traditional medicine has adopted birch buds and leaves. They are prepared before blooming (in February and March), dried in a well-ventilated, dry room. A decoction is made from the kidneys, which has a diuretic and choleretic effect and is used for edema. The kidneys should be used with caution, as they contain tarry substances that irritate the walls of the stomach. For the treatment of gastric diseases, birch buds insist on vodka. A decoction is prepared from the leaves, which is recommended to rinse the hair. The curls become soft and silky from this even without the ultra-modern expensive rinses.
Let’s take care of this tree and take care of it the way it cares about us, because there is hardly any other such wonderful plant in the vastness of endless Russia.