Betula schmidtii Regel

Trees to 35 m tall; bark black or black-brown, fissured. Branchlets purplish brown, densely villous, sparsely resinous glandular. Petiole 5-10 mm, villous; leaf blade ovate, ovate-elliptic, or elliptic, 4-8 × 2.5-4.5 cm, subleathery, shiny, abaxially densely resinous punctate and sparsely villous along veins, adaxially glabrous, base rounded, margin irregularly and doubly or simply minutely serrate; lateral veins 8-10 on each side of midvein. Female inflorescence erect, oblong-cylindric, 2-3 cm × 7-8 mm; peduncle robust, 3-6 mm, sparsely pubescent; bracts 4-5 mm, glabrous, 3-lobed, middle lobe lanceolate, lateral lobes spreading, ovate-lanceolate, ca. 1/2 as long as middle lobe. Nutlet ovate, ca. 2 × 1.5 mm, sparsely pubescent, with very narrow wings. Fl. Jun, fr. Jul-Aug.

E Jilin (Linjiang), NE Liaoning [Japan, N Korea, E Russia (Primorye)]

Temperate broad-leaved forests; 700-800 m.

Betula schmidtii, the iron birch or Schmidt's birch, is a species of flowering plant in the family Betulaceae. It is native to Manchuria, Korea, Primorsky Krai of the Russian Far East, and Japan. A tree reaching 30 m (100 ft) with nearly black bark, its wood is so dense that it does not float, and is used where a tough, durable material is desired.