Betula utilis of the tree's native distribution, several forms have orange- or copper-colored bark. "Betula utilis" var. "jacquemontii", from the western end of the native habitat, is widely used because several cultivars have especially white bark. These include: Those cultivars marked have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. "B. utilis" 'Fascination' has an orange- to mahogany-colored bark, which peels off to reveal a polished-looking layer underneath. The bark of 'Wakehurst Place Chocolate', as the name implies, is dark brown to nearly black. Betula utilis Betula utilis (Himalayan birch, bhojpatra, "bhūrjá") is a birch tree native to the Himalayas, growing
Betula pendula continues from a lateral bud. The species is monoecious with male and female catkins found in the same tree. Some shoots are long and bear the male catkins at the tip, while others are short and bear female catkins. The immature male catkins are present during the winter but the female catkins develop in the spring, soon after the leaves unfurl. The leaves have short slender stalks and are long, triangular with broad, untoothed, wedge-shaped bases, slender pointed tips and coarsely double-toothed, serrated margins. They are sticky with resin at first but this dries as they age leaving small white