Betula chinensis — identification & habitat

Chinese dwarf birch is a shrub or small tree native to mountain ridges and rocky slopes in China and Korea. It has dark bark, small leaves with toothed edges, and short, rounded fruit clusters.

Appearance

Appearance: The trunk is gray-brown with many close, raised horizontal marks.
Growth form: It usually grows as a shrub or small tree, reaching about 16 ft (5 m) in the wild.
Leaves: Small oval to diamond-shaped leaves have toothed edges.
Fruit: Short, rounded hold seeds with only a very narrow rim instead of broad wings.

Look-alikes

Dahurian birchBetula davurica

Look for the shorter, nearly round fruit clusters of Chinese dwarf birch. Its smaller, more diamond-shaped leaves also help; close photos are useful.

Why they get mixed upBoth are dark-barked birches with toothed leaves.

Where it lives

Typical habitats: Mountain ridges
Rocky mountain slopes
Range: The wild species comes from China and Korea.

Name and classification

Varieties and forms: The cultivated selection 'KLMDD' is sold as Cinnamon Flakes Chinese birch.

Conservation

IUCN Red List: LCLeast ConcernLow risk of extinction

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