Berkanan

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Name	Proto-Germanic	Anglo-Saxon	Old Norse
	*Berkanan	Beorc	Bjarken
	"birch"	"birch"/"poplar"?	"birch"
Shape	Elder Futhark	Futhorc	Younger Futhark
Shape
Unicode	ᛒ U+16D2			ᛓ U+16D3
Transliteration	b
Transcription	b
IPA	[β]	[b]	[b], [p]
Position in rune-row	18		13

*Berkanan is the reconstructed Proto-Germanic name of the b rune ᛒ, meaning "birch". In the Younger Futhark it is called Bjarken in the Icelandic rune poem and Bjarkan in the Norwegian rune poem. In the Anglo-Saxon rune poem it is called beorc ("birch" or "poplar"). The corresponding Gothic letter is 𐌱 b, named bairkan.

The letter shape is likely directly based on Old Italic 𐌁, whence also the Latin letter B.

The rune is recorded in all three rune poems:

Rune Poem:^[1]	English Translation:
Old Norwegian Bjarkan er laufgrønstr líma; Loki bar flærða tíma.	Birch has the greenest leaves of any shrub; Loki was fortunate in his deceit.
Old Icelandic Bjarkan er laufgat lim ok lítit tré ok ungsamligr viðr. abies buðlungr.	Birch is a leafy twig and little tree and fresh young shrub.
Anglo-Saxon Beorc byþ bleda leas, bereþ efne swa ðeah tanas butan tudder, biþ on telgum wlitig, heah on helme hrysted fægere, geloden leafum, lyfte getenge.	The poplar bears no fruit; yet without seed it brings forth suckers, for it is generated from its leaves. Splendid are its branches and gloriously adorned its lofty crown which reaches to the skies.