Betula grossa
Appearance
Betula grossa | |
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Betula grossa, Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, England | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Fagales |
Family: | Betulaceae |
Genus: | Betula |
Subgenus: | Betula subg. Betulenta |
Species: | B. grossa
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Binomial name | |
Betula grossa | |
Synonyms | |
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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
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/43/SHHG_Betula_grossa_foliage.jpg/140px-SHHG_Betula_grossa_foliage.jpg)
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. [1]. The species is considered closely related to the American birch Betula lenta.[1] Hardiness: RHS H4.[2]
References
- ^ a b White, J. & More, D. (2003). Cassell's Trees of Britain & Northern Europe, 304–305 Cassell's, London. ISBN 0304361925