There is not a lot of information about this species, and there are a whole bunch of other scientific species names for this. It may be a variety of Betula humilis. Carl von Willdenow identified this B. fruticosa in 1805. There are four spots in northern Europe near the Baltic Sea where this seems to be an Ice Age survivor in Europe, but it is found a lot more through Siberia, Mongolia, northern China, and one spot in northern Japan in forests, along streambanks, and in bogs. It has been called Dwarf Bog Birch and even Japanese Bog Birch. Its sort of rounded leaves with coarse teeth on the margins are about 2 to 4 cm long by 1.5 to 3 cm wide. The twigs are dark purplish-brown and the bark becomes greyish-white. The Latin word, "fruticosa" means bushy. It is a handsome looking, neat and clean growing shrub.

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