Himalayan birch

The Himalayan birch (Betula utilis) (Bharch patr, Punjābi: بھوج پتر phūrcá), is a deciduous tree native to the Western Himalayas. It grows at elevations up to 4,500 m (14,800 ft). It frequently grows among scattered conifers, with an undergrowth of shrubs that typically includes evergreen Rhododendron. The tree depends on moisture from snowmelt, rather than from the monsoon rains. They often have very bent growth due to the pressure of the deep winter snow in the Himalaya.^[1] The Himalayan birch is the state tree of Pakistani state of Azad Kashmir ^{[n 1]}.

Himalayan birch picturesque

Notes

1. “The Official designated State tree and Awarded plant emblem of Azad Jammu and Kashmir” respectively