Betula ermanii

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
Scientific 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 Cham.

Kurils Nature Reserve

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

• 
  Street tree in Brockley, south east London