birch tree; Japanese white birch
Refers to birch trees, especially Betula platyphylla var. japonica. Usually written in kana.
I planted a birch tree in the garden.
The bark of the birch tree is white and beautiful.
Katakana spelling is common and matches usual-kana usage.
Kanji spelling is rare; 樺 is not a jōyō kanji.
The word かば (樺) means 'birch', and の木 (のき) means 'tree of'. The exact origin of かば is uncertain, but it is a native Japanese word.