Shirakaba (white birch) - Betula platyphylla var. japonica; birch

Japanese: シラカバ(白樺) - シラカバ（英語表記）Betula platyphylla var. japonica; birch

A deciduous tall tree of the Betulaceae family. It is also called Shirakushi or Birch. It is considered to be a Japanese variant of the parent species (Betula platyphylla ), which is widely distributed in the cool temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere. In Japan, it grows in the mountainous areas of Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, etc., mixed with the beech zone, and in central Honshu, it grows wild at an altitude of about 1000 to 1200 m. The trunk reaches a height of about 14 m and a diameter of 60 cm. It is famous for its beautiful white bark, which is due to the secretion of white wax on the outer bark. The leaves are alternate, triangular-oval, with irregular fine double sawtooth edges. In spring, it blooms before the leaves. It is monoecious. The male inflorescence is tail-like and droops, while the female inflorescence grows upward. It is used as building material for mountain huts and other buildings with the bark still attached, as well as for crafts.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

カバノキ科の落葉高木。シラカンバまたはカバノキとも呼ぶ。北半球冷温帯に広い分布をもつ母種 (オウシュウシラカバ B. platyphylla) の日本における変種とされる。日本では北海道，本州，九州などの山地にブナ帯に混って生じ，本州中部では標高 1000～1200mあたりに自生する。幹は高さ約 14m，径 60cmにも達し，樹皮が白くて美しいので有名であるが，これは外皮に白いろう質 (ワックス) を分泌するためである。葉は互生し，三角状卵形で縁に不規則な細かい二重鋸歯がある。春に，葉に先立って開花する。雌雄同株。雄花序は尾状で下垂し，雌花序は上向きにつく。樹皮をつけたまま山小屋などの建築材にするほか，細工物などに用いる。

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