Kenai Birch
Betula kenaica
Family: Betulaceae
What it is like
Betula kenaica is a deciduous Tree growing to 12 m (39ft 4in) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 2. The species is monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and is pollinated by Wind. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in heavy clay and nutritionally poor soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 12
Where it is found
Grows along the coast. Rocky slopes in the subalpine zone from sea level to 300 metres.
North-western N. America - Alaska.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 3
Young leaves and catkins - raw. The buds and twigs are used as a flavouring in stews. Inner bark - raw or cooked. Best in spring. Inner bark can be dried and ground into a powder and then used as a thickener in soups etc or added to flour when making bread, biscuits 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. Sap - raw or cooked. It can be used as a refreshing drink, or can be concentrated by boiling to make a syrup. It is tapped in late winter, the flow is best on sunny days following a heavy frost. The sap can be fermented into a beer. An old English recipe for the beer is as follows: "To every Gallon of Birch-water put a quart of Honey, well stirr'd together; then boil it almost an hour with a few Cloves, and a little Limon-peel, keeping it well scumm'd. When it is sufficiently boil'd, and become cold, add to it three or four Spoonfuls of good Ale to make it work...and when the Test begins to settle, bottle it up . . . it is gentle, and very harmless in operation within the body, and exceedingly sharpens the Appetite, being drunk ante pastum.".
Inner bark: the bark that is found just beneath the tough outer bark of trees and shrubs.
Sap: usually of trees and usually but not always used as a drink.
Condiment: the various plants that are used as flavourings, either as herbs, spices or condiments.
Medicine
Rating: 1
The bark is antirheumatic, astringent, lithontripic, salve and sedative.
Antirheumatic: Treats rheumatism.
Antiseborrheic: Used in the treatment of seborrhoeic dermatitis.
Astringent: Produces contraction in living tissue, reducing the flow of secretions and discharges of blood, mucus, diarrhoea etc.
Lithontripic: Removes stones from the kidney, bladder etc.
Salve: Soothes and heals damaged skin.
Sedative: Gently calms, reducing nervousness, distress and irritation.
Other
Rating: 3
An infusion of the plant is used as a hair conditioner and dandruff treatment. Wood - close-grained, light, strong, hard, tough. It makes a good fuel, whilst the bark makes a good kindling.
Fuel: Usually wood, plant materials that have been mentioned as being a good fuel.
Hair: Plants used as hair shampoos, tonics, to treat balding etc.
Kindling: Plant material that burns easily and can be used for starting fires.
Dynamic accumulator: Plants that gather minerals or nutrients from the soil and store them in a more bioavailable form and in high concentration in their tissues. Used as fertilizer or to improve mulch.
How it is grown
Succeeds in a well-drained loamy soil in a sunny position. Tolerates most soils including poor soils and heavy clays. Fairly wind tolerant. A fast-growing but short-lived species. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus. A good plant to grow near the compost heap, aiding the fermentation process. This plant is closely related to B. papyrifera, and possibly no more than a sub-species of that species. Trees are notably susceptible to honey fungus.
Propagating it: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a light position in a cold frame. 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. 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.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Canopy; Secondary;
Habit: Tree
Hardiness: 0-0
Growth: Fast
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Moist
Things to keep in mind
Its other names
Local names
Synonyms
B. papyrifera kenaica. (W.H.Evans.)Henry.