Schmidt's birch is an endemic of Primorye and the Far Eastern taiga, belongs to the birch genus, has wood that has unique properties. It is also called iron, because its wood is dense and heavy, like iron.
The name - "Schmidt's birch" - the tree received in honor of the Russian botanist Fedor Schmidt, who first discovered this species of plant.
Iron tree
The tree in nature looks like a weakly branched tree, reaching a height of 20–25 m. The color of the trunk bark is brownish-gray, with cracks. The bark of the branches is smooth, painted in dark cherry (purple), dark brown or even black with white lentils. The leaves have an ovoid or oval shape and short petioles. During flowering, Schmidt birch throws straight elongated or slightly curved earrings. Nuts-seeds are ovoid or oval, wingless, but with a narrow bordering edge.
Schmidt's birch, despite its dissimilarity, is a typical representative of the birch genus. The tree loves a lot of light, tolerates frosts well, undemanding to the qualitative composition of the soil, drought-resistant. Everything is the same as with most trees of the birch genus.
The main habitat is the southwest of Primorye, the south of the Ussuri urban district, the north of the peninsula of Korea and the north of China.
The plant does not like loneliness - there are no forests only from this species of birch in nature. Nearby always grow cedar, oak and pine. Schmidt's birch prefers rocky ridges and rocky slopes. It can be found in deciduous and mixed forests. Separate trees enliven the landscape among woodlands and shrubs.
Structure Features
Birch - the only tree in the world with snow-white bark. This color is due to the presence of a coloring matter such as betulin. Hence the Latin name - Betula (Betula). However, not all breeds contain this substance. Among the many species of birch there are trees that have a bark of yellow, cherry, gray and even black. For example, at Schmidt's birch, the bark is brown, purple, and in old age it is almost black. Not all botanists recognize birch in a dark-bark tree. In the photo, it least resembles the white-haired beauty of the European part of the Russian Federation.
The second feature of the "iron" breed is life expectancy. Compared with long-livers among trees such as baobab, sequoia and pine, which live for several thousand years, the life expectancy of birch is 300-350 years. That's not a lot. Only a stone or Erman's birch (up to 400 years) lives longer than an iron plant.
The third feature is wood, which has such unusual properties as:
- strength;
- elasticity;
- hardness.
Iron wood is an indispensable material for industry, and the population has long used wood for the manufacture of household tools. Schmidt Birch is a forest-forming, decorative breed. A promising direction in the use of this kind of material is reforestation in Primorye. In order to increase the area of forest plantations, birch is planted in open places in loose soil. The tree takes root perfectly when transplanted with young cuttings. The main care for the seedlings is thinning out the stands by cutting down low-value species.
Adult fruiting trees feel good with regular loosening of the soil and removal of grass stands.
Industrial application
The use of iron birch wood is due to its high specific gravity and exceptional hardness. Numerous studies have shown that Schmidt's birch wood is not inferior in hardness and strength to some metals, as well as the recognized champion - the bacout - an iron tree growing in the tropics. Schmidt birch wood is used for the manufacture of high strength parts. For example, for the production of sliders shuttle looms. The wood of this tree species is also used in many other cases when it is required to manufacture parts of increased strength.
Birch wood is not used for shipping needs due to the high specific gravity. It is unsuitable for the construction of rafts, boats, as it sinks in water.
Medical properties
The amazing properties of iron birch have found application in pharmacology. Folk wisdom speaks of a birch as a plant that performs 4 main useful functions:
- lighting of housing with torches (in the old days);
- a source of raw materials for the production of birch tar - grease;
- tar - a bactericidal, anti-inflammatory, wound healing agent;
- branches are used to make brooms and bath brooms;
- Birch sap - a tonic, rich in vitamins and minerals, a refreshing drink.
Due to its special hardness, iron birch could hardly be used to illuminate peasant huts with bends, but juice, a decoction of buds or an infusion of leaves perfectly help with colds, diseases of the kidneys and urinary tract, and skin diseases. And bath brooms from birch are an excellent tool that stimulates metabolic processes and has a healthy effect on the body.