Beith: Birches
Betula
Keying-out Birches 3
-Leaves broad, flat or sword-like (not needles or fan shaped)
-Leaves simple, not divided into leaflets (note location of buds)
-Leaves various (not sword-like); with a petiole, even a short one; veins pinnate or palmate.
-Leaves alternately arranged on the branchlets (not opposite)
-Leaf blades not lobed
-Leaf margins toothed (serrate), or with broadly rounded teeth (crenate). Not smooth (entire).
-Leaf blade margins doubly toothed (serrate) or irregularly serrate. Not singly or regularly serrate or wavy.
-Leaf blade broadest at the base or below the middle, more or less triangular in outline, not broadest at the middle or tip.
-Thorns not present on branches. Seeds borne in hanging catkins. Trunk with conspicuous, horizontal, elongated pores (lenticel).
Summary 4
Birch is a broadleaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus Betula (/ˈbɛtjʊlə/), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams, and is closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The genus Betula contains 30 to 60 known taxa of which 11 are on the IUCN 2011 Red List of Threatened Species. They are typically rather short-lived pioneer species widespread in the Northern Hemisphere, particularly in northern temperate and boreal climates.
Birches have spiritual importance in several religions, both modern and historical. In Celtic cultures, the birch symbolizes growth, renewal, stability, initiation and adaptability because it is highly adaptive and able to sustain harsh conditions with casual indifference. Proof of this adaptability is seen in its easy and eager ability to repopulate areas damaged by forest fires or clearings. Birches are also associated with the Tír na nÓg, the land of the dead and the Sidhe, in Gaelic folklore, and as such frequently appear in Scottish, Irish, and English folksongs and ballads in association with death, or fairies, or returning from the grave.
birch (n.) http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=birch&allowed_in_frame=0
Old English berc, beorc (also the name of the rune for "b"), from Proto-Germanic *berkjon (source also of Old Saxon birka, Old Norse börk, Danish birk, Swedish björk, Middle Dutch berke, Dutch berk, Old High German birihha, German Birke), from PIE *bhergo (source also of Ossetian barz, Old Church Slavonic breza, Russian bereza, Lithuanian beržas, Sanskrit bhurjah, Latin farnus, fraxinus "mountain ash"), from root *bhereg- "to gleam, white." Meaning "bunch of birch twigs used for flogging" (1640s) led to verb meaning "to flog" (1830). Related: Birched; birching. Birch beer is by 1827, American English.
Druid Lore 3
Beith, (pronounced “BEH”): the letter B. A few of beginnings and purification, symbolized by the birch tree; the potential for renewal and rebirth in every moment.
The Druidry Magic Handbook, 2007 by John Michael Greer, Red Wheel/Weiser.
Word Ogham of Morann mac Main: “Faded trunk and fair hair.”
Word Ogham of Cú Chulainn: “Browed beauty, that is, worthy of pursuit.”
Word Ogham of Mac ind Óic: “Most silver of skin.”
Calendar attribution: First month, 24 December–20 January
The Druidry Handbook, 2006 by John Michael Greer, Red Wheel/Weiser.
Also of note are the Birch-Bark Rolls, a series of Woodcraft manuals written by the naturalist Ernest Thompson Seton which inspired the various branches of the international scouting movement, including the Boy Scouts, the Woodcraft Rangers, the Woodcraft Folk and the Kibbo Kift. The history of the Woodcraft movement in the 20th century has also been tied to the history Druid revival as an influence or sympathetic contemporary movement.
http://etsetoninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Birch_Bark_Roll_of_Woodcraft.pdf
More information at http://aoda.org
Observations by Druids 3
http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/3956922
Sources and Credits
- (c) urbanharvester, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)
- urbanharvester, no known copyright restrictions (public domain)
- (c) urbanharvester, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
- Adapted by urbanharvester from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betula
