Betula glandulosa aka Resin Birch

Betula glandulosa is a birch shrub that sheds its leaves. Common names include resin birch and bog birch. It is native to northern North America and Greenland. Its range also spans northern Asia. There, it grows from Siberia to Mongolia and Russia’s Far East. It grows in cold regions and high mountain sites. Wild plants grow in bogs and along marsh edges. They also grow in wet meadows and forest gaps. Other sites include rocky ridges and bare summits.

Garden plants reach 3–10 feet (0.9–3.05 metres) tall and wide. Their round crowns can spread into dense thickets. Arctic plants may reach just 1.5 feet (0.46 metres). These low plants tend to hug the ground. Thin twigs are dark reddish brown and have resin glands. Buds have resin too, and many short spur shoots grow. The dark brown bark shines. It has many pale lenticels, or pores, in horizontal lines. Larger stems gain dull white marks.

Leaves grow one at a time along the stems. Each simple leaf is round or broadly oval. Its edges have teeth. The thick leaves feel like leather and have sticky resin. Their upper sides shine green; their lower sides look paler. Pinnate veins branch from the main vein toward the edges. Fall leaf color adds interest late in the year. Each plant bears male and female catkins, or flower clusters. Missouri Botanical Garden gives May to June as bloom time. Chicago Botanic Garden gives an earlier season, March to April. Male catkins grow longer and turn yellow-green as they open. Female catkins stand upright and have a reddish-green tint. Fruit clusters look like cones and hold small, winged nuts. These nutlets ripen in late fall.

Grow this shrub in full sun and moist to wet soil. Missouri Botanical Garden favors acid soil that drains well. It also reports that plants cope with heavy clay. They tolerate wet, poor soils and shallow, rocky ground too. Chicago lists part shade; Missouri reports poor shade tolerance. Missouri gives USDA zones 2–6; Chicago extends this to 7. The shrub needs little care. Reports list no major pest or disease problems. It suits pond edges, stream banks, bogs, and mixed borders. It can help curb erosion and form shrubby ground cover. Birds visit the plant, and Chicago lists resistance to deer.

Plants For A Future lists young leaves and catkins as edible raw. It notes buds and twigs as flavoring for stews. It reports no known hazards, but does not confirm safety. It also records bark remedies and plant infusions for hair care. These are records of use, not proof that treatments work.