Betula grossa

Betula grossa
Betula grossa, Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, England
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Plantae
Clade:Angiosperms
Clade:Eudicots
Clade:Rosids
Order:Fagales
Family:Betulaceae
Genus:Betula
Subgenus:Betula subg. Betulenta
Species: B. grossa
Binomial name
Betula grossa
Synonyms
  • Betula carpinifolia Ehrh.
  • Betula solennis Anon.
  • Betula ulmifolia Anon.

Betula grossa, commonly known as Japanese cherry birch, is a species of birch native to Japan, where it grows naturally in mixed woodland on hill and mountain slopes in Honshu, Shikoku , and Kyushu. It was introduced to the West in 1896, but remains rare in cultivation.[1]

Description

Betula grossa foliage

Betula grossa is conical in outline, but its most distinctive feature is its cherry-like bark, with horizontal stripes of reddish-grey becoming dark grey with age, exfoliating in thin papery curls. The dark green leaves are up to 10 cm long and turn golden-yellow in autumn. The shoots are aromatic, and carry long, yellow-brown, male catkins in early spring. . The species is considered closely related to the American birch Betula lenta.[1] Hardiness: RHS H4.

References

  1. 1 2 White, J. & More, D. (2003). Cassell's Trees of Britain & Northern Europe, 304–305 Cassell's, London. ISBN 0304361925


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