Betula grossa

Betula grossa, commonly known as Japanese cherry birch (Japanese: 梓 azusa), 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.^[3]

Betula grossa
Betula grossa, Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, England
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
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
Binomial name
Betula grossa Siebold & Zucc.
Synonyms[2]
Betula carpinifolia Ehrh. Betula solennis Anon. Betula ulmifolia Anon.

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.^[3] Hardiness: RHS H4.