How many interesting things exist in our plant world! What unusual, amazing trees grow on Earth! And one of them is called the Schmidt birch. The famous botanist Komarov in 1903 recalled in his writings that it is very different from representatives of this genus and has never had closely related species.
Iron birch
On our planet there are a large number of trees, unusual in shape and features: giants, dwarfs, trees of a hundred years of age and immense thickness. There are those with giant and surprisingly small leaves, and there are those with outlandish flowers and terrible thorns.
The most surprising thing is not the type of plant itself, but the names invented by people. One of them is Schmidt's iron birch. We'll talk about her further.
Botanical description
Schmidt's iron birch reaches a height of 35 meters with a trunk diameter of about one meter.
The bark is grayish, beige, cracked, peeling and peeling off. On young branches, it has a dark cherry color. Older branches are purple-brownish, sometimes with resinous glands.
Leaves 5-8 cm long and 3-5 wide, ovate, epileptic, up to 10 pairsveins clearly visible from below, pubescent and with glands, completely bare from above, petioles are short. On the edge of the sheet with notches.
The female catkins are about 3 cm long and contain 200-250 wingless fruits that reach maturity at the very beginning of autumn. Propagated by seeds, and at the age of one hundred years - by shoots.
Ecological properties of Schmidt birch
The ecological properties of this species of birch are fairly well defined. It prefers to grow on well-drained, often skeletal soils on the upper and middle parts of mountain slopes. It is rare in the valleys, does not tolerate high humidity. Schmidt's birch can grow on the edges of the forest lit by the sun, in places where other plants do not grow.
This breed is characterized by a tendency to form even trunks or with a large slope. The latest specimens can be found in dense plantations, which confirms the light-loving nature of this type of birches. A young tree stretches towards the light, acquiring an inclined position.
What is the feature of the Schmidt birch
Birches are different, some are nothing like others. They are found with black or orange bark, the wood sinks easily in water due to its weight. Where did they come from? What are these completely “non-birch” birch trees, one of which has been awarded the name iron birch? What is special about the Schmidt birch?
She is the only representative of the natural species from the category of "iron trees". This is a very unusual plant!
Why is she like this?It's just that the iron birch is the oldest of all the others, in a single copy surviving among other unusual relatives. The period of her life - 300-400 years, differs from other birches in slow growth, especially in the first fifty years. Given the long life expectancy, this is normal. This breed blooms for a short time in the month of May. Seeds ripen in the second half of October.
What is the peculiarity of the Schmidt birch that greatly distinguishes it from others? It perfectly resists fire, which allows it to have an advantage after fires of mixed (fir, cedar) forests.
Schmidt's birch: wood feature
Wood is pink with a yellow tinge. The annual rings are almost invisible, the vessels are large. The main composition is thick-walled cells. The wood is heavy, strong and hard. In terms of strength, it is higher than boxwood, which is considered the strongest. In terms of resistance to decay, it is higher than all birches growing in our country. The main pest of iron birch is gray-yellow tinder fungus, but the core of the wood resists destruction very steadfastly.
Schmidt birch, the peculiarity of the wood of which has its significant advantages, has not found application in farms, as there are no tools capable of processing it yet.
Oak is considered the standard of strength, although it is not the hardest tree. Why, speaking about this quality, first of all we remember the oak, and not the iron tree called "Schmidt's birch"? There is nothing surprising in this, because birch grows only within Russia, and oak grows throughoutthe globe.
The unique feature of the wood of these trees is that it cannot be destroyed by any acids. One and a half times stronger than cast iron itself, a bullet cannot penetrate it.
Meaning, application
This tree of amazing features has become widely used in green building in the form of a valuable decorative breed when planted in parks, forest parks, on the edges and glades of the forest. In tandem with oak, it can be planted in a protective strip. The features of the Schmidt birch are also determined by its beauty and simplicity. A tree that gives a through shade is an adornment of a rural look in summer and winter, it is very popular. Since ancient times, people have sung birch in songs, it has been and remains a symbol of beauty.
Technological features of Schmidt's birch: it can be well polished, amenable to processing with cutting tools. This tree is used for the manufacture of art products, as plywood raw materials and in mechanical engineering.
This tree is also used in medicine. For medicinal purposes, both buds and birch leaves are used.
In the treatment of influenza, you can take orally four times a day, two tablespoons of an infusion of buds and birch leaves. To prepare it, brew 1 tablespoon of raw materials in a glass of boiling water.
The use of iron birch for chronic fatigue syndrome: take a tablespoon of kidneys in a glass of boiling water, heat for half an hour in an enamel bowl in a water bath, strain, squeeze and add boiling water toinitial volume.
Growing places
The most durable iron tree is most popular in the Kedrovaya Pyad nature reserve in Primorsky Krai. The species of this birch is protected and listed in the Red Book. Found in China and Japan.
Since ancient times, people have been grateful to this tree and sincerely thank it for its delicate beauty and the gift that helps maintain he alth.
