Betula ermanii

It is an extremely variable species and can be found in Northeast China, Korea, Japan, and Russian Far East (Kuril Islands, Sakhalin, Kamchatka).

[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 is widely cultivated outside its natural range.

The cultivar 'Grayswood Hill' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Japanese white birch on the left, and Erman's Birch on the right