Betula alnoides seed

LATIN NAME: BETULA ALNOIDES

COMMON NAME: Alder-leaf Birch

The alder-leaf birch papers the tall, upright, deciduous tree with the oval, toothed leaves that resemble the alder leaves and the smooth, pale, grey-white bark that peels in the thin, papery layers, the slender, drooping catkins opening through the spring, the small, winged nutlets following. The trunk rises clean and straight, and the tree grows fast in the warm, humid lowlands. It likes the sun, and the deep, moist, well-drained soil.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The fast growth of the alder-leaf birch gives it a recognised place in the research on the warm-climate birches of the birch family, and the alnoides species appears in the studies of the humid-forest growth and the bark structure. The work looks at the way the pale bark peels in the papery layers, the straight trunk, and the seed biology. The foresters value the straight, pale timber, and the growers of the fast timber and shade trees keep the species in their catalogues.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

In the warm garden and the plantation, the alder-leaf birch papers the trunk with the pale, peeling bark. The timber serves the construction, the plywood and the paper pulp for the ages, the tree gives the quick shade and the shelter, and the bark peels into the useful sheets. It thrives in the deep, moist, well-drained, sunny ground. Fast, pale-barked and useful.

To grow the Alder-leaf Birch from seed, mix the fine seeds with the dry sand, then scatter them over the moist, fine surface of the tray, keep the mix lightly moist in the bright, cool spot, and the seedlings thread up within a few weeks.

Keep the mix lightly moist, and pot the seedlings on as they grow. The papery bark comes over the years. Let the young trees grow on in the sunny, moist ground, and the papery bark will peel over the years.

The thin layer of outer bark is used as a paper. The juice of the bark is used for decorating wood. Wood – moderately hard, close grained, strong, durable. Used for minor construction. Inner bark – can be dried, then ground into a powder and added to flour for use in making bread, cakes etc. Inner bark is generally only seen as a famine food, used when other forms of starch are not available or are in short supply[K].