Himalayan birch
| Himalayan birch | ||||||||||||
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Himalayan birch ( Betula utilis ) |
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| Betula utilis | ||||||||||||
| D. Don |
The Himalayan birch ( Betula utilis ) is a plant from the genus of birch ( Betula ) in the family of the birch family (Betulaceae). Their home is in the upper parts of the Himalayas .
description
Vegetative characteristics
The Himalayan birch grows as a deciduous shrub or tree that can reach heights of up to 35 meters. The white, reddish-white, brownish or dark red-brown bark flakes off in thin layers. While the branches have smooth red-brown bark , those of the resinous branches are brown and densely hairy. The wood is pale pink to light reddish brown in color and has a silky sheen.
The alternate leaves arranged on the branches are divided into a petiole and a leaf blade. The hairy petiole has a length of 0.8 to 2 centimeters. The simple leaf blade is egg-shaped, oblong-egg-shaped to diamond-shaped with a length of 2.5 to 9 centimeters and a width of 1.8 to 6.2 centimeters. The tip of the leaf is pointed or tailed. The upper side of the leaf is hairy densely shaggy in young leaves. The underside of the leaf is densely covered with resin droplets and has hairs on the branches of the leaf veins . There are 8 to 14 leaf veins on each side of the midrib. The leaf margin is serrated irregularly with pointed teeth.
Generative characteristics
The flowering period extends from May to July. The male kittens are 3 to 3.7 inches long and around 4 millimeters thick. The hanging female kittens are oval-cylindrical in shape and are 3 to 5 centimeters and a diameter of 7 to 12 millimeters. The peduncle is 0.5 to 1.5 inches long.
The egg-shaped-elliptical seeds with a length of 2 to 3 centimeters and a diameter of 1.5 to 2 millimeters are winged. The seed wings are about the same size as the seeds and sometimes have one or two appendages at the tips. The seeds ripen in July or August, depending on the location.
The number of chromosomes is 2n = 56.
Occurrence
The natural range of the Himalayan birch extends from Afghanistan via Pakistan , India , Nepal and Bhutan to China . In China they can be found in Gansu , Hebei , Ningxia , Qinghai , Shaanxi , West Sichuan , East and South Xizang, and Northwest Yunnan . In India, the species occurs in Jammu and Kashmir , Himachal Pradesh , Uttarakhand and Sikkim .
In its Chinese distribution area, this species is found in temperate deciduous forests at altitudes of 2500 to 3800 meters. In Kashmir you can find them at altitudes of 3000 to 4500 meters. It usually forms smaller stocks.
Systematics
The first description of Betula utilis was made in 1825 by David Don in Prodromus Florae nepalensis , S. 58th
According to R. Govaerts, the following subspecies are distinguished:
- Betula utilis subsp. albosinensis (Burkill) Ashburner & McAll. (Syn .: Betula utilis var. Sinensis (Franch.) HJPWinkl. , Betula albosinensis Burkill ): It occurs in northern and central China.
- Betula utilis subsp. jacquemontii (Spach) Kitam. (Syn .: Betula utilis var. Jacquemontii (Spach) HJPWinkl. , Betula jacquemontii Spach ): It occurs in the western and central Himalayas.
- Betula utilis subsp. occidentalis Kitam. (Syn .: Betula chitralica Browicz , Betula kunarensis Browicz , Betula pyrolifolia V.N.Vassil. ): It occurs from eastern Afghanistan to Central Asia.
- Betula utilis subsp. utilis (Syn .: Betula bhojpattra Wall. , Betula utilis var. glandulifera rule ): It occurs from the Himalayas to China.
use
The hard and dense but rather brittle wood is a valuable timber in the home of the species. The bark is occasionally used for roofing and as an umbrella cover or paper substitute. The leaves are used as fodder.
An infusion from the bark has an antiseptic effect and is said to help against flatulence. Dripped in the ears, it is said to help against earache. It was previously used to treat jaundice and hysteria .
The bark of the Himalayan birch was used as writing material (cf. birch bark ). In Kashmir , manuscripts were made on birch bark until the 18th century.
swell
- Pei-chun Li & Alexei K. Skvortsov: Betula. In Wu Zheng-yi, Peter H. Raven (Ed.): Flora of China . Volume 4: Cycadaceae through Fagaceae . Science Press / Missouri Botanical Garden Press, Beijing / St. Louis 1999, ISBN 0-915279-70-3 , pp. 309 (English). Betula utilis - Online (text identical version on efloras.org) (section description and distribution)
- Yasin J. Nasir: Betulaceae . In: Flora of West Pakistan . tape 95 . Stewart Herbarium, Rawalpindi 1975, p. 1–5 ( Betula utilis - Online - same text version on efloras.org :).
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g h Pei-chun Li & Alexei K. Skvortsov: Betula. In Wu Zheng-yi, Peter H. Raven (Ed.): Flora of China . Volume 4: Cycadaceae through Fagaceae . Science Press / Missouri Botanical Garden Press, Beijing / St. Louis 1999, ISBN 0-915279-70-3 , pp. 309 (English). Betula utilis - Online (text identical version on efloras.org)
- ↑ a b c d e f g Yasin J. Nasir: Betulaceae . In: Flora of West Pakistan . tape 95 . Stewart Herbarium, Rawalpindi 1975, p. 1–5 ( Betula utilis - Online - same text version on efloras.org :).
- ↑ Betula utilis. In: Germplasm Resources Information Network. www.ars-grin.gov, accessed January 30, 2011 (English).
- ↑ a b c d e Rafaël Govaerts (Ed.): Betula - World Checklist of Selected Plant Families of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Last accessed on January 11, 2017.
- ↑ Betula utilis. In: Plants For A Future. www.pfaf.org, accessed January 30, 2011 .
- ↑ Jeremiah P. Losty: The Art of the Book in India. The British Library Publishing Division, 1982, p. 8.
