Sweet birch. Large tree from Eastern North America, growing to 25 m (80 ft) high there. The sap is edible when tapped; also eaten are the leaves, young shoots (made into a tea) and bark. A medicinal oil (wintergreen) is distilled from the bark which is itself used medicinally. The bark has been used for roofing and waterproofing canoes; and the timber is valued for construction etc. Likes a sunny well-drained site; hardy to -35°C. Stratification: CS4. Number of seeds: 100.
