The spelling is [i]Shilleleagh[/i] afaik. Don't hold me accountable for its correctness, Gaelic or Irish spelling is a horror. In Folk Tales very old ones do have magic properties e.g. only beat up the bad guys or can be successfully used to ward off Dark Forces. I actually like your birch as well as my suggestions, there's also a strong case for Laburnum (Golden Chain Tree)which fits the Perseus Evans anagram and was used as cheap substitute for ebony and I'm sure all of them are better than anything JKR will come up with, if she can't avoid to answer anymore; I guess her solution will be something with unpleasant connotations.