Birch
Botanical name: Betulaceae
Birch
Botanical name: Betulaceae
Species of Birch
Hornbeams
Hornbeams make up a group of trees utilized for cultivation and timber. Their wood is renowned for its hardness, making it difficult to work with but useful for many products, including tool handles, carving boards, and even chess sets! Some species go by the name 'Ironwood' due to their toughness.
Hop-hornbeams
Hop-hornbeams are a group of small deciduous trees (reaching 20 m maximum). These trees have exceptionally hard wood, making them useful for applications that require toughness and durability. Though difficult to work with, the wood is used to make plane soles and tool handles. Some species of hop-hornbeams are occasionally planted as ornamentals, but some foresters regard these trees as weeds.
Hazels
Hazels make up a genus of trees that are renowned for their edible nuts, including hazelnuts and filbert nuts. The wood and branches have been used to make traditional tools, fencing, and baskets. Many Celtic myths state that hazelnuts are sacred and provide wisdom to those who eat them. Hazels are also important trees in some of the Grimm's Fairy Tales.
Hazel hornbeams
Hazel hornbeams is a small genus of deciduous shrubs belonging to the birch family Betulaceae. They are shrubs reaching 3 to 5 m tall, with alternate, double-toothed hazel-like leaves 2 to 7 cm long. The flowers are produced in spring, with separate male and female catkins. The fruit form in clusters 3 to 5 cm long with 6-10 seeds; each seed is a small nut 4 to 6 mm long, fully enclosed in a sheath-like involucre. The genus is native to China.
Alders
Alders are common trees in lake climates around Europe. They play an important role in Irish and Celtic mythology. According to one of these stories, a mythical figure named Deirdre of the Sorrows escaped from a king's warriors by hiding in a nearby forest of alders, leading the trees to be associated with themes of hiding and secrecy. The wood itself turns deep orange when cut, adding to the superstitions surrounding this tree.
Betula
Betula grow throughout the world, and are known for their bark which, on all species except the gray birch, peels off in strips. These trees produce large amounts of pollen; they're thought to be responsible for up to 20% of hay fever cases in the northern hemisphere. Bark from betula has been used for centuries to create paper. Afghani texts from the first century were made using this type of bark, and the ancient Romans also wrote on birch paper. The trees' sap and syrup are traditional delicacies in some countries.
Scientific Classification
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