The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™
ISSN 2307-8235 (online)
IUCN 2008: T194256A2306879
Betula alnoides, Himalayan birch
Assessment by: Shaw, K., Roy , S. & Wilson, B.
View on www.iucnredlist.org
Citation: Shaw, K., Roy , S. & Wilson, B. 2014. Betula alnoides. The IUCN Red List of Threatened
Species 2014: e.T194256A2306879. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.20143.RLTS.T194256A2306879.en
Copyright: © 2015 International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources
Reproduction of this publication for educational or other non-commercial purposes is authorized without prior written
permission from the copyright holder provided the source is fully acknowledged.
Reproduction of this publication for resale, reposting or other commercial purposes is prohibited without prior written
permission from the copyright holder. For further details see Terms of Use.
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ is produced and managed by the IUCN Global Species Programme, the IUCN
Species Survival Commission (SSC) and The IUCN Red List Partnership. The IUCN Red List Partners are: BirdLife
International; Botanic Gardens Conservation International; Conservation International; Microsoft; NatureServe; Royal
Botanic Gardens, Kew; Sapienza University of Rome; Texas A&M University; Wildscreen; and Zoological Society of London.
If you see any errors or have any questions or suggestions on what is shown in this document, please provide us with
feedback so that we can correct or extend the information provided.
THE IUCN RED LIST OF THREATENED SPECIES™
Taxonomy
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Magnoliopsida
Fagales
Betulaceae
Taxon Name: Betula alnoides Buch.-Ham. ex D.Don
Synonym(s):
• Betula acuminata Wall.
• Betula alnoides variety acuminata (Wall.) H.J.P. Winkl.
• Betula alnoides variety cylindrostachya (Lindl.) Winkl.
• Betula cylindrostachya Lindl.
• Betula nitida D.Don
• Betulaster acuminata (Wallich) Spach.
Common Name(s):
• English:
Himalayan birch, Indian Birch
Assessment Information
Red List Category & Criteria:
Least Concern ver 3.1
Year Published:
2014
Date Assessed:
August 1, 2014
Justification:
This species has a wide distribution and is reported to be common across the majority of its range.
There are no major threats reported for this species. It is therefore not considered to be threatened and
is evaluated as Least Concern. In the Chinese Red List this species is also assessed as Least Concern.
Geographic Range
Range Description:
The species is distributed from Nepal eastwards to Viet Nam. The species mostly occurs below 2,000 m
asl, but some records report it reaching 2,600 m asl in Yunnan and 3,000 m asl in Dudhatoli, Himalayas.
Its distribution shows considerable overlap with that of its close relative B. cylindrostachya.
Country Occurrence:
Native: Bhutan; China (Fujian, Guangxi, Hainan, Hubei, Sichuan, Yunnan); India (Arunachal Pradesh,
Assam, Darjiling, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura,
Uttaranchal); Lao People's Democratic Republic; Myanmar (Myanmar (mainland)); Nepal; Thailand; Viet
Nam
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Betula alnoides – published in 2014.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T194256A2306879.en
1
Population
The species is widespread and common across most of its distribution. However, it is listed as locally
rare in the Garhwal district in the northwest Himalayas and Yunnan.
Current Population Trend: Stable
Habitat and Ecology (see Appendix for additional information)
A component of the tropical to subtropical forests, this species often grows in forests with oaks of the
genus Lithocarpus and the alder Alnus nepalensis alongside such herbaceous sub-tropical ground flora
plants as begonias and gingers. In the Himalayas, this species is one of the main elements in temperate
deciduous cloud forests where it is associated with Green Oak, Deodar and Silver fir trees. In Viet Nam it
is found scattered in restored forests, mixed with Calophyllum, Quercus, Machilus and Canarium spp. or
in plantations in high mountainous regions. This species is also reported to behave as a primary
colonizer following disturbance such as land slips or road building. It is commonly found along rivers,
where gravels have been exposed by floods and is relatively tolerant to a range of soil texture and soil
moisture. It has been reported that trees in the wild near Kalimpong, West Bengal develop new shoots
in mid October while still retaining their old leaves. This species is therefore probably evergreen.
Systems: Terrestrial
Use and Trade (see Appendix for additional information)
The species is a good timber species; the wood is hard and coarse and can be used for furniture and
cabinet work and for household utensil making.
The bark is used as a medicine, applied in cases of dislocated bones and as a snake antidote when mixed
with hot butter. The bark is thin and papery so can be used as a substitute for paper. The aromatic oils
can be used in the leather industry and the leaves are lopped for fodder.
It is also a holy plant of Chadar (Tagin) tribe in Arunachal Pradesh, India.
Threats
There are no major threats to the survival of this species.
Conservation Actions
Sustainable harvesting of this species is required to ensure harvesting does not become a threat in
future.
Credits
Assessor(s):
Shaw, K., Roy , S. & Wilson, B.
Reviewer(s):
Oldfield, S.
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Betula alnoides – published in 2014.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T194256A2306879.en
2
Bibliography
Ashburner, K. and McAllister, H.A. 2013. The Genus Betula: A Taxonomic Revision of Birches. Kew
Publishing, Richmond, Surrey.
Dobremez, J.F., Shakya, P.R., Camaret, S., Vigny, F. & Eynard-Machet, R. 1967-2009. Flora Himalaya
Database. Available at: http://www.leca.univ-savoie.fr/db/florhy/.
efloras. 2000. Annotated Checklist of the Flowering Plants of Nepal. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis,
MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA Available at: http://www.efloras.org/.
efloras. 2008. Flora of China. Available at: www.efloras.org.
Feng, Z.Z., Yang, S.Z. and Wang, D.M. 1998. Rare trees in Yunnan Province. Esperanto Press, Beijing.
Gaur, R.D. 1999. Flora of the District Garhwal North West Himalaya. TransMedia, New Delhi.
Govaerts, R. 2013. World Checklist of Betulaceae. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Available at: http://www.kew.org/wcsp/. (Accessed: 05 December 2013).
Hajra, P.K., Verma, D.M. and Giri, G.S. (eds.). 1996. Materials for the Flora of Arunachal Pradesh.
Botanical Survey of India, Calcutta.
IUCN. 2014. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.3. Available at: www.iucnredlist.org.
(Accessed: 13 November 2014).
Manandhar, N.P. and Manandhar, S. 2002. Plants and people of Nepal. Timer Press, Inc.
Missouri Botanical Garden. 2013. Tropicos. Missouri Available at: www.tropicos.org.
Ohba, H. and Malla, S.B. 1991. The Himalayan Plants. University of Tokyo Press.
The Plant List. 2010. The Plant List. Available at: http://www.theplantlist.org/. (Accessed: 2013).
USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. 2013. Germplasm Resources Information Network,
GRIN (Online database). Beltsville, Maryland Available at: http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgibin/npgs/html/family.pl?144. (Accessed: December 13).
Vietnam Forest Inventory and Planning Institute. 1996. Vietnam Forest Trees. Agricultural Publishing
House, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Citation
Shaw, K., Roy , S. & Wilson, B. 2014. Betula alnoides. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014:
e.T194256A2306879. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T194256A2306879.en
Disclaimer
To make use of this information, please check the Terms of Use.
External Resources
For Images and External Links to Additional Information, please see the Red List website.
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Betula alnoides – published in 2014.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T194256A2306879.en
3
Appendix
Habitats
(http://www.iucnredlist.org/technical-documents/classification-schemes)
Habitat
Season
Suitability
Major
Importance?
1. Forest -> 1.9. Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Moist Montane
Resident
Suitable
-
Use and Trade
(http://www.iucnredlist.org/technical-documents/classification-schemes)
End Use
Local
National
International
Food - animal
Yes
No
No
Medicine - human & veterinary
Yes
No
No
Other household goods
Yes
Yes
No
Research Needed
(http://www.iucnredlist.org/technical-documents/classification-schemes)
Research Needed
3. Monitoring -> 3.2. Harvest level trends
Additional Data Fields
Distribution
Lower elevation limit (m): 500
Upper elevation limit (m): 3000
Population
Population severely fragmented: No
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Betula alnoides – published in 2014.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T194256A2306879.en
4
The IUCN Red List Partnership
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ is produced and managed by the IUCN Global Species
Programme, the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) and The IUCN Red List Partnership. The IUCN
Red List Partners are: BirdLife International; Botanic Gardens Conservation International; Conservation
International; Microsoft; NatureServe; Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Sapienza University of Rome; Texas
A&M University; Wildscreen; and Zoological Society of London.
THE IUCN RED LIST OF THREATENED SPECIES™