Betula ermanii

Erman's birch
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fagales
Family: Betulaceae
Genus: Betula
Subgenus: Betula subg. Neurobetula
Species:
B. ermanii
Binomial name
Betula ermanii
Kurils Nature Reserve

Betula ermanii, or Erman's birch,[1] is a species of birch tree belonging to the family Betulaceae. It is an extremely variable species and can be found in Northeast China, Korea, Japan, and Russian Far East (Kuril Islands, Sakhalin, Kamchatka). It can grow to 20 metres (66 ft) tall.[2] It is noted for its peeling bark, which can sometimes be removed in sheets, but usually shreds and hangs from the trunk and under branches. Yellow-brown male catkins appear with the leaves in spring.[3]

Erman's birch is widely cultivated outside its natural range. The cultivar 'Grayswood Hill' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[4]

Japanese white birch on the left, and Erman's Birch on the right

Leading tree nurseries including Barcham Trees [5] stock the species. It is consequently a frequently encountered street tree in London and other British towns and cities.

  • Street tree in Brockley, south east London
    Street tree in Brockley, south east London
  1. ^ English Names for Korean Native Plants (PDF). Pocheon: Korea National Arboretum. 2015. p. 373. ISBN 978-89-97450-98-5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 May 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2017 – via Korea Forest Service.
  2. ^ Pei-chun Li & Alexei K. Skvortsov. "Betula ermanii". Flora of China. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  3. ^ RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN 978-1405332965.
  4. ^ http://apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselector/plant?plantid=243 [dead link]
  5. ^ "Trees for Sale - Buy Trees Online - Barcham Trees - Barcham Trees".