Betula albosinensis Betula albosinensis Betula albosinensis, the "'Chinese red birch"), syn. "B. bhojpattra" var. "sinensis", "B. utilis" var. "sinensis", is a species of birch in the family Betulaceae, native to Western China. It is a deciduous tree growing to . A particular feature is the peeling brown bark (cream when newly exposed). In fact the Latin specific name "albosinensis" means "white, from China". Brown catkins are produced in Spring. "Betula albosinensis" is grown as an ornamental tree for parks and large gardens, and numerous cultivars have been produced. The cultivars 'China Rose' and 'Red Panda' have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award
Beech bark disease to spread to the south and west. The first case of beech bark disease in the United States was reported in 1929 in Massachusetts. By 2004, the disease had spread as far west as Michigan and as far south as western North Carolina. For beech bark disease to occur, two components are required, an insect and a fungus. The beech scale insect, "Cryptococcus fagisuga", is invasive to North America and is host-specific, feeding exclusively on beech trees. It can be observed on the trunk and limbs of the tree as woolly, white tufts that will later develop into broad strips.