Irish Trees
Irish Trees: click below
Alder |
Oak Pedunculate Oak Sessile Rowan Scots pine Strawberry tree Willow Wych elm Yew |
Downy birch
Beith chlúmhach
(Betula pubescens)
There are two types of birch in Ireland, downy and silver. The most usual is the
downy birch, which like silver birch is a delicate tree with fine branches and small
leaves. The springtime flowers are catkins which stay on the tree and contain the
mature seed by autumn.
Birch will grow in poor soils, but likes a sunny position. Downy birch is tolerant of
wet sites, but silver birch needs good drainage. Birch woods occur widely, especially
on marginal soils, lake edges, such as Lough Ennell Co. Westmeath, fens and on dried out bogs such as Ardkill Bog, Co. Kildare. Birch is typically associated with the
Sperrins, growing in peat at the edge of bogs, and on the light sand and gravel soils.
It makes a good ornamental garden tree, as it does not grow too large. Like alder, its
seeds are popular with small seed-eating birds such as siskin and redpoll. In early
times toghers or walkways, usually across bog land were made from birch. Nowadays,
it is more commonly used in making plywood.