Deciduous, up to 25 m high leafy tree with white bark/bark and dense roots. The white of the birch bark comes from betulin embedded in the bark. There are female and male flowers (catkins) on a tree, with each flower producing at least 400 airworthy fruits (so-called winged nuts). Flowering time: April to May, fruit ripening: August to September. Frequently triggers type I allergies, see birch pollen allergy.
Occurs in Europe and the temperate regions of Asia.
Both the birch leaves - Betulae folium- and the birch bark(Betulae cortex), which has been freed from the cork, are used phytotherapeutically.
Industry: The tanning agents in the bark of older birch trees are used for tanning leather. The wood of the birch is used as plywood, chipboard, fiberboard, veneer, squared timber or firewood, as well as for the production of pulp.