Betula utilis

Himalayan birch , or B. utilis is a member of the birch or Betulaceae family and is native to high elevations in the Himalayas, with the 'jacquemontii' variety being from Kashmir to central Nepal.

• Leaves are alternate, simple, ovate, double-serrate, up to 7.5 cm long.
• Species is monoecious; males form groups of 2-3 catkins near the end of the twig; females are slender, light green, about 2.5 cm long in the spring. They form cone-like seed-bearing cylinders by fall which disintegrate in the winter, dispersing the seed.
• Bark of the jacquemontii variety peels horizontally in sheets; it is considered by some authorities to have the whitest bark of any of the birches.