''Betula albosinensis'', commonly known as the Chinese red birch, is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 3 ...

in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Betulaceae Betulaceae, the birch family, includes six genera of deciduous nut-bearing trees and shrubs, including the birches, alders, hazels, hornbeams, hazel-hornbeam, and hop-hornbeams, numbering a total of 167 species. They are mostly natives of ...

native Native may refer to: People * '' Jus sanguinis'', nationality by blood * '' Jus soli'', nationality by location of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Nat ...

Western China Western China ( zh, s=中国西部, l=, labels=no or zh, s=华西, l=, labels=no) is the west of China. It consists of Southwestern China and Northwestern China. In the definition of the Chinese government, Western China covers six provinces ...

. It is notable for its distinctive peeling

bark Bark may refer to: Common meanings * Bark (botany), an outer layer of a woody plant such as a tree or stick * Bark (sound), a vocalization of some animals (which is commonly the dog) Arts and entertainment * ''Bark'' (Jefferson Airplane album), ...

and is cultivated as an

ornamental Ornamental may refer to: *Ornamental grass, a type of grass grown as a decoration *Ornamental iron, mild steel that has been formed into decorative shapes, similar to wrought iron work *Ornamental plant, a plant that is grown for its ornamental qua ...

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...

Description

''Betula albosinensis'' is a

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

tree that can grow up to 25 m (82 ft) in height, with some specimens reaching 18 to 27 m (60 to 90 ft).Trees and Shrubs Online. Betula albosinensis. https://www.treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/betula/betula-albosinensis/ The trunk can reach a circumference of 1.8 to 3.4 m (6 to 11 ft).

Bark

A distinctive feature is the red birch's peeling bark, which is brown but cream when newly exposed. The bark has been described as bright orange to orange-red, peeling off in very thin sheets. Each new layer of bark is covered with a white glaucous bloom, giving it a unique appearance.

Leaves

The leaves are ovate, 5 to 7.6 cm (2 to 3 in) long and 2.5 to 3.8 cm (1 to 1.5 in) wide, with a slender point and rounded base. They have unevenly jagged teeth along the edges and 9 to 14 pairs of veins. Young leaves have hair between the veins, becoming smooth (glabrous) with age.

Catkins

Brown

catkins A catkin or ament is a slim, cylindrical flower cluster (a spike), with inconspicuous or no petals, usually wind-pollinated (anemophilous) but sometimes insect-pollinated (as in ''Salix''). It contains many, usually unisexual flowers, arranged cl ...

are produced in Spring. Male catkins are 3.8 to 6.4 cm (1.5 to 2.5 in) long, while female catkins are 2.5 to 3.8 cm (1 to 1.5 in) long and about 8 mm (1/3 in) wide. Female catkins are usually solitary, sometimes in pairs.

Other features

Young shoots are slightly glandular, becoming dark brown and smooth with scattered warts as they age.

Taxonomy

''Betula albosinensis'' was first described by Burkill in 1899 in the Journal of the Linnean Society. The Latin specific name ''albosinensis'' means "white, from China". Synonyms include ''B. bhojpattra'' var. ''sinensis'' and ''B. utilis'' var. ''sinensis.''Plants of the World Online (POWO). Betula utilis subsp. albosinensis. https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77128714-1 Recent taxonomic revisions have proposed reclassifying this taxon as ''Betula utilis'' subsp. ''albosinensis'' (Burkill) Ashburner & McAll. This reclassification was published in Ashburner & McAllister's 2013 work "The genus Betula: a taxonomic revision of birches". This classification is accepted by the World Flora Online (WFO) and Plants of the World Online (POWO).

Distribution and habitat

''Betula albosinensis'' is native to Western China. More specifically, it is found in North-Central China, South-Central China, Southeast China, and Inner Mongolia. It grows primarily in temperate biomes.

Uses

Cultivation

''Betula albosinensis'' is grown as an ornamental tree for parks and large gardens, valued for its striking bark. It was first introduced to cultivation in the West by E.H. Wilson in 1901, who collected specimens in Western Hupeh (now Hubei) province. Numerous

cultivars A cultivar is a kind of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and which retains those traits when propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue cult ...

have been produced. The

cultivar A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...

s 'Fascination' and 'Red Panda' have gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. It includes the full range of cultivated p ...

Gallery

Betula albosinensis 1.jpg Betula albosinensis 2.jpg Betula albosinensis 3.jpg

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1631520 albosinensis Trees of China Endemic flora of China