Paper Birch - k’ʷəlwastəd ʔə tə pliləʔ, sk’ʷək’ʷalwasac, sq’ʷəq’ʷalwačac - (Betula papyrifera)
Paper Birch is an airy, fast-growing, but short-lived deciduous tree. It has distinctive creamy-white, peeling bark that appears generally after 3 years of life and a trunk that often develops into multiple offshoots with maturity. Its leaves are double-toothed at the margins, grow between 4 to 6 inches long, and are green in the spring and summer months then turn a brilliantly attractive golden-yellow color in autumn. Paper Birch forms drooping male and female catkins. The sap can be boiled down to make birch syrup. The bark can be used, even when wet, as a high intensity fire-starter. Paper birches have been used by Native Americans for canoes, containers, as backing for porcupine quillwork, moosehair embroidery, and the artform of birchbark biting. This tree is great for reclamation projects at highly disturbed sights such as mines.
*Prefers full sun to partial shade
*Prefers acidic, sandy, loamy, cool, moist, well-drained soils. Some drought tolerance.
*Suitable for slopes, lakeside, streambanks, near ponds, as an ornamental
*Typically, 50 to 70 feet in height with a 35-foot spread. Max height 90 feet.
*Sold Bare Root
*Sold in bundles of 5
k’ʷəlwastəd ʔə tə pliləʔ, sk’ʷək’ʷalwasac, sq’ʷəq’ʷalwačac *Lushootseed provided by the Puyallup Tribal Language Program and audio by Chris Briden, Puyallup Tribal member.