A deciduous tree growing to 35 m (115 ft) tall. The wood is white, strong, and straight-grained. The leaves are 20-30 cm long, pinnately compound with 7 (occasionally 5 or 9) leaflets, 6-13 cm (2-5 in) long. Flowers are dioecious. The fruit when fully formed is a samara 3-5 cm long, the seed 1.5-2 cm long with a pale brown wing 1.5-3 cm long, and can be blown a good distance from the parent tree.

Astringent, emmenagogue and a bitter tonic (bark); diaphoretic, diuretic, emetic and strongly laxative (inner bark); aphrodisiac (seed)

Plants For A Future

Betulin (leaves)

An infusion of bark is used to promote menstruation. It has also been used as a wash to treat skin sores, itches and vermin on the scalp. The inner bark is used as a tea to remove bile from the intestines, as a tonic after childbirth and to relieve stomach cramps and fevers. It is chewed and applied as a poultice to sores. The leaves are used to soothe the itching caused by mosquito bites and bee stings.