Betula grossa | |
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Betula grossa, Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, England | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
(unranked): | Angiosperms |
(unranked): | Eudicots |
(unranked): | Rosids |
Order: | Fagales |
Family: | Betulaceae |
Genus: | Betula |
Species: | B. grossa |
Binomial name | |
Betula grossa Siebold & Zucc. |
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Synonyms | |
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Betula grossa Siebold & Zucc., 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.
B. 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. Hardiness: RHS H4.[2]