While in Savannah Georgia this past weekend I admired all the botanical species in the parks and squares on this historic city. I saw Leopard plants ( Farfugum japonicum ), Shell ginger ( Alpinia zerumbet ), multiple species of Magnolias and even a Paper Birth.
Paper birch (Betula papyrifera) bark is white with beige horizontal streaks that peel back and shed naturally.
All part of the Betula family, the paper birch tree has many siblings. Silver birch, yellow birch, gray birch, sweet birch, black birch, or the river birch tree, are all a set of very impressive tree species. They can produce sap just like the sugar maple (which can then make birchsyrup ), they all have relatively white bark, their flowers are catkin
Native Americans used paper birch sapwood to eliminate toxins, soothe headaches, control menstrual bleeding, and stop wound bleeding by inducing coagulation. Decayed birch wood was mixed with labrador tea and powdered to treat skin irritation. Today, it’s used in natural remedies as an astringent, diuretic and anti-inflammatory ingredient.
My interests are varied. I became interested in trees after reading The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben and The Secret Language of Trees by Gill Davies. There are many good books on trees. You can read about Black or White Spruce being used as an antimicrobial by Native Americans and other fascinating facts