Derivation of Birkin

• Traveling back to birkin's oldest Indo-European roots, etomologist Bill Casselman says that it arose from the Sanskrit word "bherja," which means "bright" and refers to the birch tree's white bark. Later derivations, birche and birk, are found the stage of English language history referred to as Middle English, which stretched from the late 11th to the late 14th centuries. Casselman notes that Birkin is an English surname from West Yorkshire that means birch wood. Changing the last "i" in birkin to and "e," creates the German word for birch (birken).
  
  

Historical Connections

• While birch trees are mostly known for their beauty and usefulness, they are a reminder of the Holocaust for some people. Birkenau, which means birch meadow in German, was the site of a Nazi extermination camp that was bordered by a grove of birch trees. In the poem "The Birches of Birkenau" by Martin Swords, the author ends his work by saying "Birkenau -- place of birches./ Even the trees were corrupted."
  
  The ancient Romans tortured criminals with a weapon involving a bundle of birch sticks wrapped around an ax. In time, bundles of birch switches became a symbol worldwide of government power. Casselman points out that the Abraham Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., has birch bundles carved on the legs of Lincoln's chair. But in America, birch trees are more often connected to American Indian history because they were used to make canoes and teepees.
  
  

Folklore

• Birch trees are also connected to the ancient folk belief in a number of cultures that the tree symbolized fertility and new life. In his book "Flower and Magic," Richard Webster says that birch brooms were used in the old British ritual of jumping the broomstick when getting married. Birch trees are also known for repopulating logged, disturbed or burned forest land, according to the Cirrus Image website. This ability to rejuvenate a forest contributes to the tree's reputation for fertility, according to the Tara Hill Design website.
  
  

Growing Birch Trees

• According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, birch trees (Betula spp.) grow best in cool, moist soils, but they also need full sunshine. This dichotomy of needs is tricky, because birch trees have shallow root systems that make them susceptible to drought and heat. It notes that a northern or eastern exposure is best for home planting, because that provides afternoon shade. Birch trees grow up to 40 feet tall and have yellow foliage in autumn. The prefer acidic soil with a pH of 5.0 to 6.5.