Alder, the guardian of open water

The Alder has followed man along the rivers for thousands of years. Medicinal tree, fertilizer of wetlands, wood with multiple uses, it is also the guardian, often beneficial, sometimes worrying, of open waters.

The tree of water

The Alder, Aulne, Verne, Vergne, erects its trunks with dark bark, anchors its roots on the banks of rivers, streams, ponds. Water is its element. Alongside the Willow and the Poplar, it settles, often alone or in small groups, the forests of yesteryear rarely exist anymore. For a long time, it has lived alongside the beaver, and knows how to reject the stump at each cut. But even its vigorous rejections will not guarantee it a long life, 100 years at most. This cousin of the birch will be adorned all winter with small dark cones, to be picked for Christmas decorations, with a few pieces of bark to fight against fever...

Medicinal properties

Forgotten, the medicinal properties of the Alder were once recognized. The leaves are to be collected at the end of spring, they can be dried or used fresh. In internal use they would be sudorific, diuretic and vermifuge. The external use is recommended for the feet of the walkers, deposited fresh in the shoes they would have soothing virtues. They are also quoted as antigalactogenic, allowing to decrease and to dry up the rises of milk. Wrapping fresh leaves under a thick quilt would alleviate any rheumatism.

The properties of the bark should not be minimized, harvested at the end of winter, just before the rise of sap, it is used for its astringent, tonic, relaxing and febrifuge virtues.

Agricultural uses

The networked roots of the Alder provide an effective fixation of the banks, avoiding the disappearance of agricultural plots, washed away at each flood. Foresters and farmers also use it to enrich the land with nitrogen. Used to difficult soils, the Alder has developed a root symbiosis with a nitrogen-fixing bacterium, just like legumes. Its cultivation thus makes it possible to prepare future exploitable plots.

A valued wood

Reddish when cut, Alder wood lightens up when dried. Homogeneous, light and soft, it is used for sculpture, and is sought after by turners. It is easily stained black, and thus resembles ebony. Clogs, but also fiber panels, containers and kitchen cutlery, its uses are multiple, up to its long stems perfect for ladders. Outside, exposed alternately to dryness and humidity, it rots very quickly. But at constant humidity or immersed, it is rot-proof, and was used as a drain (faggots), gutters, and especially pilings, the major foundation of the houses of Venice.

Various uses

In fire, Alder emits a lively heat giving off very little smoke, a property sought after by bakers and glassmakers. The dyeing properties of its bark, black tint, is still used for felt and hats. The tanning of skins in the Nordic countries uses its high concentration of tannins.

Its branches would have a certain attraction for many insects and mites, the leaves deposited on the ground serve as a refuge for fleas, ticks, various parasites. It is enough after a few hours to collect the whole and to burn, the places are clean.

Some stories

The rivers share their legends with the Aulne, the tree that guards the banks. Like the waters, it carries secrets and spells, beneficial or evil depending on the region. It is said to be the "witches' tree", its charcoal was used to draw magic circles, its branches to make fairy wands. Does its red color when felled come from blood tears? The druids would have passed there, it is said that they read the future in the smoke of the barks...

Familiar to man and riverbanks, but forgotten in the landscape, the Aulne is a tree to be rediscovered. For its properties, its stories, but also its place in the wet ecosystems, a real refuge for a varied fauna, from the tip of the leaves to the multiple nooks and crannies of its roots plunging into the water.

Beech, a tree of elegant nobility

The beech forest has accompanied man for thousands of years. Its names, fau, fayard, fouteau, fouillard, resound in the shade of many localities. Let's discover this elegantly noble tree.

A tree of the shade

The common beech, Fagus sylvatica, appreciates the humidity and coolness of the mountains, the northern or sub-Atlantic regions, the shade of its fellow trees... Present in many French forests, it sometimes imposes itself in exclusive beech forests, or associates with oak, ash, fir, and sometimes spruce. Adapted to all types of soils, deep in valleys, superficial on outcropping rocks, it will show some reluctance for acidity. Remarkable tree of our forests, the beech owes its reputation to its haughty beauty, to its qualities of firewood, but also to its small edible fruits, its medicinal properties buried in our memories, its varied uses and its forgotten legends.

Recipes from beech

"Beech acorn", the common name for the beech tree's crown, recalls the time when pigs were fed with the fruits of the forest, under the oak or beech groves. But this small triangular fruit appreciated by domestic and wild animals is not disdained by man. Peeled and crunched raw, it is pleasant. Roasted in a frying pan, its flavor is even better. However, its consumption must remain limited, as the side effects are known to occur in quantity. Horses are particularly sensitive to it. If the sedge is eaten, its oil, which was extremely famous in its time, is of excellent quality, without toxic active ingredients. The only concern is the irregularity of production, as beech trees bear fruit irregularly, and 2 to 3 years can pass without fruit...

In other times, during periods of famine, boiled beechnuts and dried bark were crushed and mixed with barley or oats.

Medicinal properties

If the oak deserves attention for its multiple medicinal properties, sometimes forgotten, the beech remains discreet, in the therapeutic shadow of its colleague. Its leaves were once prescribed as detersive and astringent, its bark would also be astringent. It was compared to cinchona for its febrifuge actions, harvested on the young twigs of 2 to 3 years. Creosote, an antiseptic and disinfectant, is derived from beechwood tar. It is more used for entomological boxes than for therapeutic purposes, as it is currently considered harmful. Beech charcoal is said to be bactericidal and anti-tubercular. The buds are used in gemmotherapy, they could play a role in the functioning of the kidney.

Uses of beech

Beech adapts easily to different environments, but its wood is changed. Its colors and properties vary according to the habitat, the calcareous soils of the plain will favor a clear, yellowish white wood, easy to work, while the siliceous soils of the mountains will see a harder, nervous wood grow, turning pinkish and even reddish, more difficult to work. The uses are multiple, furniture, paper pulp, fiberboard, flooring and paneling, objects worked on the lathe, oars, shovels, agricultural tools, buckets. The clog makers considered it the best wood after walnut. Not very resistant to bad weather, it must be treated to last. Thus coated with creosote, its own tar, it will line up alongside oak to serve as railroad ties.

Although it can be worked well, except for lumber, beech has a solid reputation as a firewood, as well as for its coal.

In the past, the soft autumn leaves filled canvas bags that served as mattresses, just like dried fern.

Some stories...

Slender and majestic, smooth and shiny bark, sumptuous autumn colors... The beech would be of the nobility of trees, bearer of softness, of female knowledge. It evokes a strong vitality, a power that would come from the stones that mix with it when lichens cover them both. If it does not support lightning and solitude, different from the oak, it symbolizes mutual aid, the united forest.

The magical virtues of the beech wand, divinatory if necessary but also capable of paralyzing snakes, are still cited by some elders.

The beech was used in small sticks by the Germans to write their alphabet, the runes, its name is also found in the German literary vocabulary.

A tree of freshness, familiar to our forests and parks where the majestic silhouettes of the purple beeches stand, will the beech be able to adapt to global warming?

The birch, an elegant and appreciated tree

Elegant and appreciated ornamental tree, the Birch has accompanied man since prehistoric times. Its recognized medicinal properties and its many and varied uses have made it a fundamental plant in the daily life of mankind.

The white tree

Birches, rarely solitary trees, mark the landscape with their clear silhouettes and delicate foliage. Elegance and lightness characterize them. Two large species are found in Europe, from the Betulaceae family, the Warty Birch and the Pubescent Birch, the latter preferring humid areas. Pioneers, they like cleared lands, burned, full light. They settle down, renew themselves, the time of a passage of life of man, their longevity does not exceed 100 years, 150 at most. Their properties are common and multiple...

Medicinal properties

More and more recognized and appreciated, the medicinal properties of Birch deserve to be considered.

Internally they present mainly diuretic, depurative, anti-rheumatic interests. The infusion of leaves and the decoction of buds are used in the care of renal colic, dropsy, cellulite... The sap, whose reputation continues to grow, is harvested at the end of winter, at the first signs of spring. Spring cures are recommended, in small doses, a few tablespoons per day. Its antioxidant properties are in the taste of the day, its possible role also in the regulation of intestinal disorders.

Externally the decoction of leaves or bark is detersive, disinfectant and would cure many skin problems. Leaves enveloping the body or painful organs soothe rheumatism, just like Alder leaves.

A wood with variable but numerous qualities

The white wood of Birch can be yellowish or even reddish. Neither too hard nor too heavy, it is easy to work, and is of better quality when subjected to harsh climatic conditions, in the mountains or in Northern Europe, with a slower growth.

It lends itself to turning, for the manufacture of plates, bowls, spoons, various utensils. Its lack of tannins favors food contact. Used for the manufacture of light and solid clogs, the carpentry will appreciate it for the structures of furniture. The cabinetmaking with appropriate dyes will transform it into walnut and mahogany; its wood sometimes knotty or "madré", intertwining of fibers, in some Warty Birch, will be of the most beautiful effect.

The long list is completed by the use of the young flexible stems to tie up barrels, to make tool handles, ladders, but also paper pulp, fiberboard, thin plywood, models...

An all-purpose bark

If Birch wood has many uses, its bark is not to be outdone, far from it. Highly concentrated in resins, it does not degrade, and was used, and is still used, to waterproof roofs, make hats, capes, baskets, belts, mats... The Amerindian dugouts were famous for their lightness and their capacity to carry heavy loads. As early as prehistoric times, boxes were designed, folded, rolled, sewn, allowing to carry flint, tinder, medicinal plants.... In the last century, shepherds still used them as gaiters...

By heating pieces of bark, one obtains the pitch of Birch, a tar allowing the gluing, the sealing. And if the uses of the bark of Birch are still numerous, it is necessary to quote one of them: the paper.

Various uses

In fire, Birch emits a lively heat without smoke, leaving very little ash, properties sought after by bakers and glassmakers. It is called "baker's wood". As fuel, its rolled bark was used to make long-lasting torches.

Birch also has a good reputation as a broom. Its branches attached to an ash handle by wicker or bramble ties were used to make brooms, famous for their sturdiness, but also chopsticks for unruly school children... Hence its name "tree of wisdom".

Its dyeing properties, use of the leaves, allow to obtain a yellow or green tint, according to whether one adds chalk or alum.

In the past, the leaves were dried to be used as fodder during the winter.

Birch wine closes this incomplete list, a sparkling and refreshing beverage obtained by fermenting the sap harvested in spring.

Some stories

A tree with white bark, light, elegant, pioneer, the Birch is a symbol of purity and renewal. It is associated with the light of the moon, feminine Goddess, and plays a protective and purifying role. The birch wood cradles would protect children from evil forces, the wood was inhabited by fairies ...

The Birch would also be a tree of passage between the worlds.

The brugmansia, a tropical tree with abundant trumpets

Brugmansia arborea: a tropical plant

Brugmansia arborea is an unusual plant because it is very sensitive to frost (hardiness: 0°C). It is a tropical tree which, in its country of origin, South America, can reach between 8 and 10 meters high. Contrary to Datura (close relative of Brugmensia) which has erect flowers, its trumpet-shaped flowers are falling and have beautiful colors, pink, yellow or white.

Be careful! Like Datura, Brugmansia is a toxic plant whose leaves should not be eaten.

An abundant bloom

The main attraction of Brugmensia arborea is its flowering. It is a very floriferous plant which blooms all the summer season. Continually, the tips of the stems emit one to two flower buds.

How to prune the trumpet of death?

Brugmansia arborea is a tree that can be left to grow freely if it is grown in the ground. On the other hand, if it is put to winter in an orangery, a veranda or a garage, it is better to prune it to reduce its clutter. The pruning is practiced from October and we cut mainly the extremities. The following year, it will start growing again.

To know: the flower buds appear on the stems of the year. This is why it is possible to prune it short.

Cultivation and maintenance

As Brugmansia arborea is a tree, it is necessary to repot it every year to prevent the plant from lacking food. It is necessary to plant it in a humus substrate and to bring water and fertilizer regularly. If the plant is not fed enough, its first reaction will be to lose its flower buds, the main attraction of the plant.

Ideally, Brugmansia arborea should be planted in a large container and brought in during winter.

Tip: if you have to go on vacation, consider installing a drip system with a timer.

Brugmansia arborea is also a full sun plant. It does not need any shade, because it harms the production of flower buds. It also needs a maximum of heat.

Pests of Brugmansia arborea

Brugmansia arborea has very few pests. You can sometimes notice the appearance of the white fly in summer, when it is very hot. However, the plant being so vigorous, it is not necessary to treat it.

The cedar, an imposing and majestic silhouette

From their distant lands, the Cedars have brought us their imposing and majestic silhouettes, with their unmistakable landscape style. But with them also came an aromatic wood, appreciated by carpenters, a renowned essential oil, and beautiful stories.

A majestic tree

Standing in parks and botanical gardens, the Cedars impose themselves by their high stature, majestically spread out in tiers. They seem to have been there for centuries, even millennia. And yet the first of them, a Cedar of Lebanon, arrived a little less than 3 centuries ago, planted by Bernard de Jussieu in the Paris plant garden in 1734. Since then, they have been planted for their landscaping role, but also for their forestry role, given the quality of their wood.

There are 4 species of Cedars in the world. The Cedar of Lebanon, Cedrus libani, the Cedar of the Atlas, Cedrus atlantica, the Cedar of the Himalayas, Cedrus deodora, and the Cedar of Cyprus, Cedrus brevifolia.

Various origins

The Cedar of Lebanon, native to the country of which it is the emblem, but also to Asia Minor, has been appreciated for its remarkable qualities for thousands of years, and its exploitation since Antiquity has led to the decline of its vast original forests.

Arrived in France a little later, the Atlas Cedar comes from the mountains of North Africa. Planted for its ornamental qualities, tending towards the glaucous, but also for its wood and its rapid growth, it can be found as much in isolated areas as in large exploited forests.

The Himalayan Cedar, a tree from the mountains of Afghanistan, from the north-western Himalayas, requires a particular ecosystem, and is mainly found in botanical gardens, arboretums, parks...

Distant medicinal properties

The ancient names of the trees confuse the issue of their past medicinal uses. The word Cedar did not refer only to Cedrus trees in the past. Many junipers bore this name, including the Oxycedra juniper, which makes it difficult to find precise writings.

Currently, we use the essential oil from the Atlas Cedar, with antifungal, antiseptic, soothing properties... It also seems to be suitable for hair care, treatment of cellulite, could play a role in respiratory tract disorders .... As for all essential oils, precautions of use are necessary, dosages, dilutions, advice of professionals, must be followed.

Aromatic uses

Cedar wood, strongly aromatic, has a repulsive action on insects, in particular moths. Balls and even hangers made of Cedar wood limit the presence of these undesirable insects. This property is worth to him to be used as shoe tree, support in the shape of foot on which is arranged the shoes: in addition to the maintenance of the shape and the drying the wood of Cedar brings a pleasant perfume.

The resin, very caustic, aromatic, was used for the embalming of bodies.

Naval fleets made of cedar wood

Famous for shipbuilding, which has led to its overexploitation in Lebanon, Cedar wood has a pinkish beige color and a fine grain. Durable, it has a good mechanical resistance, but would be brittle and would not like shocks. It is used in carpentry and cabinet making. Its rot-proof character has made it the wood of choice for the manufacture of sarcophagi and crossbeams in mines.

The qualities of Cedar wood are directly related to its habitat. A too fast growth in a favorable environment will make him lose any interest of exploitation.

Some stories...

According to its origins, the Cedar represents greatness, wisdom and duration, but also purity, majesty, nobility, power, sometimes bordering on pride... More than a tree, it would be a divine being capable of predicting the weather. The Bible quotes it many times.

In the epic of Gilgamesh, the guardian of the Cedar forest, Humbaba, dies, and from then on the trees will not cease to be cut down...

The Cedar Wedding celebrates 49 years of marriage.

Cedars have a long history with humans. Ornamental trees, but also with multiple uses, resistant to human pollution, reseeding with vigor, they seem to be able to settle permanently in our landscapes.

The pedunculate oak : botanical sheet

Botanical description of the pedunculate oak, Quercus robur

The pedunculate oak: the typical tree of our forests

The pedunculate oak is a characteristic species of alluvial plains. It is mainly thanks to a bird, the jay, which carries its acorns over several kilometers, that the pedunculate oak gains new open spaces and confirms its reputation of a colonizer.

Portrait of the pedunculate oak

The pedunculate oak can reach 30 to 50 meters in height and can live for several hundred years. It is a heliophilous species, which seeks full light. Its growth is slow in its youngest age then becomes more sustained. The male and female flowers are distinct but are borne by the same individual. They are pollinated by insects during flowering, from April to May.

Enemies of the pedunculate oak

The biggest enemy of the pedunculate oak is powdery mildew, a fungus that develops on the foliage of oaks and gives a whitish appearance to the leaves. Powdery mildew is a disease that weakens young trees.

Another concern comes from a too brutal lighting, which favors the appearance, in the long run, of gourmands: these are small branches which leave, in the wood, marks not very appreciated.

The qualities of pedunculate oak wood

Pedunculate oak wood is of excellent quality, very durable and has many uses. The best quality ones produce veneers or are used for cabinet making, carpentry, cooperage and parquetry.

Oak is also used for many purposes in the construction industry (framework, posts...) as well as in the railway industry for the bottom of wagons or sleepers.

It is also a very good firewood.

Did you know that?

For a very long time, acorns were used to feed pigs.

Growing tips for pedunculate oak

You wish to plant an oak in your garden? Its needs and constraints are the following:

• it can withstand winter cold and late frosts, but remains fragile.
• It appreciates a sunny exposure, in a clear place.
• It grows in fresh, well-drained, rich and deep soil.
• it grows on soils well supplied with water all year long