Betula davurica Pall.

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Credits

Article from Bean's Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles

Recommended citation
'Betula davurica' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/betula/betula-davurica/). Accessed 2025-01-19.

Genus

Betula

Synonyms

Betula dahurica Pall. orth. var.

Glossary

glabrous: Lacking hairs smooth. glabrescent Becoming hairless.
glandular: Bearing glands.
midrib: midveinCentral and principal vein in a leaf.
ovate: Egg-shaped; broadest towards the stem.

References

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Credits

Article from Bean's Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles

Recommended citation
'Betula davurica' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/betula/betula-davurica/). Accessed 2025-01-19.

A star in a genus full of stars: Betula davurica is almost exclusively grown for its extraordinary bark. This collection was grown from seed collected in Nagano Prefecture, Japan, and grows at White House Farm, Kent, UK. June 2022. Image Tom Christian.

A tree 60 ft or more high in nature, the trunk clothed with curling flakes of papery bark, giving it a curious, ragged appearance; bark at first warm brown; young shoots sparsely downy, thickly covered with glandular warts. Leaves ovate, 2 to 4 in. long, 11⁄2 to 3 in. wide; broadly wedge-shaped or almost straight across at the base, pointed, coarsely and unequally toothed; dark green and glabrous above, downy beneath along the midrib. Veins six to eight pairs; leaf-stalk about 1⁄2 in. long.

Native of Manchuria, N. China, and Korea; introduced to Kew by Dr Bretschneider in 1882, but not a species of much promise, having a failing common to trees of this region in starting early into growth and being cut back by frost. In upland country it would, no doubt, thrive better. In the curious ruggedness of its bark it resembles B. nigra. The present example at Kew is twenty-five years old and about 25 ft high; it is reasonably hardy.

From the Supplement (Vol. V)

This species, rare in cultivation, is represented at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire, by a tree measuring 98 × 8 ft (1985).

Foliage on Betula davurica from Mount Togyu, South Korea; at Arboretum Wespelaar, Belgium (14 May 2008). Image © Jan De Langhe - Arboretum Wespelaar.

Fruiting catkin on Betula davurica (Arboretum Wespelaar, Belgium – 14 May 2008). Image © Jan De Langhe - Arboretum Wespelaar.

Leaves of a young Betula davurica (label ID 3117) photographed on 27 September 2008 at the Arboretum Robert Lenoir in Southern Belgium. Image Charles Snyers.

Betula davurica (centre; label ID 1865), the Belgian champion, planted in 1962 at Arboretum Robert Lenoir. May 2019. Image Charles Snyers.

Betula davurica (label ID 1865), Arboretum Robert Lenoir, May 2019. Image Charles Snyers.

Betula davurica (label ID 1865), Arboretum Robert Lenoir, October 2012. Image Charles Snyers.

Detail of bark on Betula davurica (label ID 1865), Arboretum Robert Lenoir, May 2019. Image Charles Snyers.

Betula davurica at RHS Garden Rosemoor, UK; May 2017. This is a clone with an unusual pinkish-white bark, now sold as 'Maurice Foster'. Image Owen Johnson.

Betula dahurica var. parvifolia is arguably the best origin for British gardens – it originates from a similar climate in Japan and is the last to flush into leaf in spring, thereby avoiding late frosts (Ness Gardens, UK, September 2010). Image Tim Baxter.

Betula dahurica at Silwood Park, Berkshire, UK; September 2021. Image Owen Johnson.

Betula davurica 'Maurice Foster'; bark of the original tree (Stone Lane Gardens, Devon; 3rd December 2022). Image Julian Sutton.

Betula davurica 'Maurice Foster'; the original tree at Stone Lane Gardens, Devon, one of a group of seedlings, wild provenance Hokkaido, 1981 (3 December 2022). Image Julian Sutton.

Dan Lynch standing with Betula davurica that has particularly attractive exfoliating bark growing near Changbai Shan, Jilin, China. Late September 1997. Image Paul W. Meyer.

Betula davurica with particularly attractive exfoliating bark growing near Changbai Shan, Jilin, China. Late September 1997. Image Paul W. Meyer.

Paul W. Meyer standing with a large specimen of Betula davurica growing near Changbai Shan, Jilin, China. Late September 1997. Image Peter Bristol.

Betula davurica Pall.

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Genus

Synonyms

Other taxa in genus

Other taxa in genus

Glossary

References

Credits

From the Supplement (Vol. V)