Plants
Birch
Common name
BirchLatin name
Betula papyriferaCharacters
Paper birch is distinctive in its bark, which is papery and peels off the tree in sheets at wounds. The bark is white with horizontal lenticels marking the surface. Leaves are triangular in outline or widely lanceolate with their edges both lobed and toothed. The leaves generally turn yellow in fall.
Habit
TreeEdible Portion
SyrupHabitat
Edges of conifer and mixed forests. Grows in some open canopy.Geography
Throughout but boreal
Used For
Syrup tapped much as maple syrup and used in cooking
Recipe
See instructions for tapping maple trees